Learjet 60 Crashes Into Florida Road, Killing All 9 on Board After Mayday Call
- A private jet flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas went down in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon
- The pilot declared a mayday before reporting the aircraft was descending at 20,000 feet per minute
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the scene at the crash site, where the jet left a deep crater near homes and businesses
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A private business jet carrying nine people crashed into a South Florida neighbourhood on Sunday, killing everyone on board after entering a catastrophic nosedive that witnesses described as resembling a missile strike.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities on X, identifying the aircraft as a Learjet 60 that went down in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m.
Source: Original
He described the incident as a "horrific tragedy" and said the Federal Aviation Administration was deploying a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation.
AP reported that the jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas. While cruising east at approximately 35,000 feet, the crew reported encountering turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested clearance to climb a further 2,000 feet. The situation deteriorated rapidly from that point.
Air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net reveal the pilot had initially reported "light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence." However, within minutes, the aircraft began losing altitude at a rate that exceeded its structural design limits, plunging at speeds of up to 30,000 feet per minute.
"We're descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed to controllers. The final transmission was stark: "We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute. We're going to crash into the ground."
The plane banked sharply to the right before striking the ground near a busy roadway in Greenacres, a city of approximately 45,000 people located about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The impact ignited a large fireball, and thick black smoke rose above the crash site as chunks of pavement surrounded a crater left in the road.
Investigation Under Way as Residents Evacuated
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who visited the scene, confirmed there were no immediate reports of casualties on the ground. "It was a cataclysmic plane crash," he told reporters. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road."
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said icing and turbulence may have caused the aircraft to stall at cruising altitude, though he cautioned that investigators would not rule out any contributing factors at this stage.
Palm Beach County authorities evacuated roughly 600 residents from a nearby mobile home community as federal officials began their on-site investigation. The road in the area was closed until further notice.
NTSB investigators were expected to reach the crash site on Sunday and Monday, with a media briefing scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.
Heavy rainfall compounded conditions in the region on the day of the crash, with the National Weather Service having issued a flood watch through Monday afternoon due to excessive rain.
Pilot's last words before Wicknell helicopter crash
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a security aide attached to Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo has given a harrowing account of the last radio transmissions made by a pilot before the helicopter crash that killed five people on September 30, 2026.
The aide, who was aboard a separate helicopter on the same return journey, said conditions in the sky deteriorated sharply while both aircraft were in the air.
The pilot carrying Chivayo suggested rerouting through Bromley to avoid the worsening weather.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Delali Adogla-Bessa (Head of Current Affairs and Politics Desk) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.
The Associated Press (The Associated Press) The Associated Press (AP) is a not-for-profit news agency. The AP operates approximately 240 news bureaus across nearly 100 countries, producing content in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
