A private jet traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas crashed into the ground in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, leaving a deep crater and burning debris just feet from nearby homes and businesses. All nine people aboard died, officials say.
Video captured by a passing vehicle shows the Learjet 60 slamming nose-first onto a busy roadway before a massive fireball erupts.
“It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “It looked like a missile going down.”
Authorities reported no immediate injuries to anyone on the ground.
Before the crash, the pilot calmly reported ice accumulating on the aircraft, an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius, and moderate turbulence that caused the plane to bounce by as much as 700 feet, according to air traffic control radio recordings captured by LiveATC.net.
But moments later, the pilot began sounding more panicked.
“Mayday, mayday,” the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center. “We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!”
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” they yelled. “We’re going to crash into the ground!”
Flight-tracking data from ADS-B Exchange shows the jet plunged 27,000 feet in about one minute before its signal disappeared.
Officials have not determined what caused the jet to crash. They have also not identified the nine victims or disclosed how many were passengers and crew members.
Scattered storms moved through the area at the time, and the aircraft passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began descending. However, investigators have not established whether the storm contributed to the crash.
Authorities from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Officials expect to hold a news conference Monday.
‘I Heard and Felt the Boom’
The crash is the second-deadliest plane crash in the United States this year, according to NTSB records. In June, 12 people died when a skydiving plane crashed in Butler, Missouri. The Florida crash is also the deadliest involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. In 2008, a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed during takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina, killing four people.
The plane struck the ground shortly before 1 p.m. on Military Trail, a major roadway between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. Video from CNN affiliate WPBF showed the road shattered, with burning debris scattered across the crater.
“There is a lot of debris that was strewn as a result of this crash,” DeSantis said.
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