All nine people aboard a private jet were killed Sunday when the aircraft crashed into a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, erupting in a massive fireball near a mobile home neighborhood, federal officials said.
The Learjet 60 came down at about 12:50 p.m. local time in a residential area near Cresthaven, close to Greenacres, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash site sits near South Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, at the entrance to a mobile home neighborhood. Video recorded by passing drivers showed the aircraft diving steeply from the sky before it struck near the roadway and exploded, the Associated Press reported. The impact left fires, scattered debris and a crater in the pavement, and the fireball appeared to just miss nearby homes.
The crash left a giant crater in the pavement with flames leaping from it near a utility pole, the Associated Press reported. Chunks of pavement caught fire as black smoke billowed from the hole, and people nearby expressed shock that the jet had landed only feet from homes. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue described the scene as a mass casualty incident in the first hours after the crash. The jet was reported to have clipped a tree and brought down power lines on its way down, according to the New York Post.
Flight-tracking data reviewed by CNN from ADS-B Exchange showed the aircraft descending 27,000 feet over the course of about one minute before the tracking data cut off, CNN reported. Officials have not said what the tracking data means for the investigation, and no official has offered any explanation for the descent.
Greenacres is a community of modular and mobile homes just outside Palm Springs, in a part of Palm Beach County where neighborhoods sit close to the corridor of Military Trail, a major north–south roadway. The sheriff's office said the aircraft incident remained under investigation through Sunday afternoon, with the roadway closed in both directions around the scene.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash a "horrific tragedy" and asked the public to join him in praying for the families and loved ones of those who were lost, as he confirmed that everyone on board had been killed. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in its statement that "an incident involving an aircraft is currently under investigation in the area of Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North," and that deputies and fire crews would remain on the scene.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said all nine people on board the plane were killed, USA Today reported. As of 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, there had been no confirmation of fatalities or injuries among people on the ground, according to USA Today. The nine people on board have not been identified, and officials have not said who was on the flight. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press the aircraft was a private plane and that he could not immediately provide details about who was on board.
The jet, registration N722BD, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the FAA said in a statement carried by USA Today and the Associated Press.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office closed all lanes of Military Trail in both directions between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North and urged motorists to avoid the area. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue described the response as an extended incident, and Greenacres Fire Rescue also responded to the scene.
Weather in the West Palm Beach area on Sunday afternoon was overcast, with rain and lightning in the area and winds from the east at 15 mph, gusting to near 25 mph, and visibility of 7 miles, the National Weather Service in Miami said, according to USA Today. South Florida was under a flood watch for heavy rain on Sunday, with thunderstorms across the region. No official has connected the weather to the crash, and no cause has been given.
The Learjet 60 is a mid-size business jet that typically seats about eight people. Nine people were on board this flight, the FAA said. The aircraft's tail number was N722BD, Reynolds told the Associated Press.
Much about the crash remains unknown. Officials have not released the names of the nine people killed, have not said whether anyone on the ground was hurt, and have not said why the jet went down. The sheriff's office asked motorists to avoid the area and seek alternate routes while crews worked the scene, and fire officials said the response would be an extended one.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates, the FAA said.
This is a developing story. Previously will update it as officials release more information.
