Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calls Palm Beach County Learjet crash horrific tragedy

A private Learjet 60 fell 27,000 feet in about a minute, according to ADS-B Exchange data, before striking a neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board. The crash occurred Sunday, November 1, at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time, marking the deadliest accident ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data.

Federal data indicates the jet plummeted from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in the final minute of its flight. The pilot reported descending 10,000 feet per minute and then 20,000, and the AP reported the descent rate reached as high as 30,000 feet per minute. The aircraft banked sharply to the right before impacting the ground at a steep angle near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a horrific tragedy in a post on X. He confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration was sending a team to the scene to support the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The NTSB launched a go-team Sunday, with investigators expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach. No cause has been determined at this time.

The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for the Austin airport, said the aircraft was private and could not say who was on the flight. Officials had not released the names of the nine people killed or said how many were passengers and how many were crew. He called the event a definite tragedy. Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the aircraft by registration number N722BD, and the registry lists it as owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site and told reporters the impact resembled a missile. He noted that the crash left a large crater on the side of the road. DeSantis said there were no reports of fatalities or injuries among people on the ground at the time of his news conference. He praised local first responders for their quick response and stated that the debris field stretched a long distance from the impact point.

Witnesses captured video of the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway. Flames surrounded chunks of pavement lining the crater, which sat feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site. Anthony Blackmon, a resident about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and everything was on fire. Roger Forcelle reported that the aircraft passed over his home, shaking the entire structure before crashing less than half a mile away. Andrew Mannino heard a boom, experienced a power outage, and smelled smoke as a large black cloud rose into the air.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community were forced to leave their homes Sunday night. The crash scene blocks the entrance to the park and is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work, county officials said. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, the first county official on scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross stood by, and Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents once law enforcement permitted the evacuation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane and Alameda Drive until further notice. The road remained open only to emergency vehicles. County officials directed drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane for east-west travel, and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended period due to the crater and the ongoing federal investigation.

The pilot reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center minutes before the crash. The pilot stated the ice was light and clear, manageable, while moderate turbulence bounced the jet by as much as 700 feet. The outside air temperature was reported at minus 47 degrees Celsius. After requesting a 2,000-foot climb, the pilot radioed a mayday and said the aircraft was descending 10,000 feet per minute, then that it was in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute.

The pilot declared a mayday and stated the plane was going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said the crew was out of time. The aircraft passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before beginning its descent. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft, in the area. Heavy rain fell across the region Sunday, and the National Weather Service maintained a flood watch through Monday afternoon.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former Transportation Department inspector general, said dashcam video would be important to investigators. She noted that the steep dive was not a controlled descent, indicating the pilots had lost control. She said the rapid descent could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder may have been destroyed in the explosion. It is not known if the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry one only when flown for hire. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights.

The crash is the second deadliest in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12. The Learjet brand, made famous by Bill Lear in the 1960s, was last built by Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports planes in service. The NTSB safety alert from January 2024 warned that in-flight icing can make managing the flightpath and airspeed more difficult, potentially preventing an airplane from maintaining level flight.