Nine killed after Learjet crashes into Florida neighbourhood

All nine people aboard a private Learjet 60 were killed when the aircraft crashed into a neighbourhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, US officials said. The jet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it plunged near a busy roadway and erupted into a fireball. The crash occurred at about 12:50 p.m.

local time near Cresthaven and Military Trail, roughly nine miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to the BBC. Images showed a crater in the road, burning debris and thick smoke. Officials said the aircraft narrowly missed nearby homes.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that everyone on board had died and described the crash as a “horrific tragedy”. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Authorities had not released the identities of those aboard.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a mass-casualty incident, while local authorities evacuated about 600 residents from a nearby mobile-home community. The impact damaged local infrastructure, including water lines, according to the BBC.

Officials said Military Trail, a six-lane road lined with businesses and restaurants, would remain closed for at least 30 days. Motorists were told to avoid the area and use alternative routes. Air-traffic-control recordings cited by France 24 indicate that the pilot reported icing, precipitation and severe turbulence before the aircraft entered a steep descent.

The pilot first requested an additional 2,000 feet of altitude, then declared an emergency as the jet began losing height rapidly. The recordings showed the descent accelerating from 10,000 feet per minute to 20,000 and then 30,000 feet per minute. The pilot reported an overspeed condition and ultimately said: “We’re going to crash into the ground.” Flight-tracking information and the recordings describe the aircraft banking sharply to the right before striking the ground.

These details describe the final moments but do not establish the cause of the crash. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were reported in the area. The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch because of excessive rainfall through Monday afternoon.

Investigators will need to determine how the weather conditions, reported icing and the aircraft’s rapid descent were connected. The jet had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, whose spokesperson identified it as a privately operated aircraft and gave its tail number as N722BD. The reports did not provide information about the passengers or crew.

Al Jazeera likewise identified the destination as the Bahamas and the crash location as Greenacres, near West Palm Beach. Trump had been at Mar-a-Lago earlier on Sunday and departed from a nearby airport about an hour before the crash, according to the BBC and South China Morning Post. Officials have not indicated any connection between the president’s movements and the accident.

The FAA and NTSB are continuing the investigation, and no official cause has been announced.