A Learjet bound for the Bahamas nose-dived into a Florida neighborhood Sunday. All nine people aboard were killed.
A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood on Sunday and erupted into a fireball just missing homes, killing everyone aboard, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The Learjet 60, with tail number N722BD, crashed at 12:50 p.m. on Sunday November 1st, near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in the Cresthaven area of Greenacres, in Palm Beach County, and left a large crater beside the road. The FAA said the twin-engine jet, which is 22 years old, left Austin, Texas, and was headed for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It said the jet made a rapid dive of about 350 feet per second before crashing. Video from drivers’ dashboard cameras showed the plane plunging nose-first and exploding near passing cars, and the pilot can be heard telling the tower the plane was going to crash, CBS Miami reported. An Austin-Bergstrom International Airport spokesperson told AP the jet was a private aircraft.
Officials did not release the names of the people aboard. Initial reports did not say whether anyone on the ground was hurt. About 600 people were evacuated or needed shelter because of damage near a mobile home park, said Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who was the first county official on the scene. Gov. Ron DeSantis described the crash as “cataclysmic” and said the aircraft looked like a missile coming down.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The cause has not been determined.
Information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, ABC News, CBS Miami, CNN and NBC Miami.