Learjet crash in Florida kills all nine on board

All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 died Sunday when the private jet nose-dived onto a roadway in Palm Beach County, Fla., and exploded, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas and went down at about 12:50 p.m. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and scheduled a media briefing for Monday in West Palm Beach, The Associated Press reported.

“It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at the scene, adding that it looked like a missile going down and left a big crater beside the road. He said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being hurt.

Officials had not named the victims or said how many were crew and how many were passengers, Fox 13 reported. DeSantis said he did not know whether anyone on board was from Florida. No nationalities had been released in the reports reviewed by Canada News Media as of Monday morning.

The crash was among the most searched topics in Canada over the past day, with Google Trends showing more than 100,000 searches for “learjet 60.” Dashcam video of the jet striking the road spread widely online. The aircraft also has a Canadian link: Montreal-based Bombardier bought Learjet in 1990 and ended production of the jets in 2021.

Air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net suggest the emergency unfolded within minutes. A crew member first described “light, clear ice” that was “manageable,” along with moderate turbulence, NBC News reported. CNN said the pilot reported an outside air temperature of -47 C and turbulence that was moving the plane by as much as 700 feet, or about 213 metres.

The AP said the jet was flying east at 35,000 feet, about 10,700 metres, when the crew asked to climb another 2,000 feet. It then entered a steep dive, descending at 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 and as much as 30,000, according to the recordings and flight tracking data cited by the AP. On the recording, a crew member declared a mayday and said the jet was going to hit the ground.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office told CNN the jet hit Military Trail, a major road, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. The AP said sheriff’s officials placed the crash in Greenacres, while the FAA described it as near Cresthaven.

About 600 people from a nearby mobile home community were moved out while investigators work, the AP reported. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores told CNN that debris was blocking the entrance to the park and that residents were being sent to two shelters. County officials said the road would stay closed until further notice.

CNN, citing NTSB records, said it was the second-deadliest U.S. plane crash this year, after 12 people died when a skydiving plane went down in Butler, Mo., in June. Flight Safety Foundation data make it the deadliest crash involving a Learjet 60, CNN said.

The cause has not been determined. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo told the AP that icing and turbulence could have been factors but that investigators would not rule anything out this early. Icing has figured in other investigations, including the 2024 crash in Brazil that killed 62 people.

Sources: The Associated Press via The Canadian Press, CNN, NBC News, Fox 13.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.