All nine people have died who were aboard a business jet that crashed in a Florida neighborhood on Sunday, Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, said. The aircraft erupted in a massive fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy roadway.
Duffy posted on X on Sunday that the Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach county at 12.50pm and called it a “horrific tragedy”. The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the cause, he said.
The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom international airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities did not immediately say what caused the jet to go down or who was on it.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed.
“It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” DeSantis told reporters at the scene. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”
Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for the airport, said it was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.
“This is definitely a tragedy,” he said.
He said the tail number for the flight was N722BD.
The plane was heading east at 35,000 ft (about 11 km) when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to climb another 2,000 ft (about 610 metres).
Moments later, the plane entered a steep dive, first 10,000 ft per minute, then 20,000 ft per minute and up to 30,000 ft per minute, speeding the plane beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.
A pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls. The plane banked sharply to the right before it smashed into the ground.
Rain pounded the region on Sunday. A flood watch due to excessive rainfall was in effect through Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
Video shot from people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the aircraft plunged from the sky, before striking near the roadway and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater as people milled about, expressing shock it landed only feet from homes and only inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke engulfed the crash site.
It was unclear if the crash caused any damage to homes.
The crash occurred near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. The Palm Beach county sheriff’s office closed roads in both directions and urged motorists to avoid the area. Firefighters and other emergency personnel rushed to the scene.
Palm Beach County authorities were evacuating about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigate the crash.
A woman working nearby said electricity in the area had been out for approximately two hours following the crash.
The circumstances of the crash remained under investigation.
