Palm Beach County: Nine killed as Learjet crashes in neighborhood

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, November 1, 2026, killing all nine people aboard, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced. The aircraft, which had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, struck the ground near a busy roadway and exploded, Duffy said. The crash site is located in Greenacres, a city of approximately 45,000 residents situated roughly seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identified the jet as a Learjet 60 with the registration N722BD. Officials stated that nine individuals were on board, though they had not released the names of the victims or the specific breakdown of passengers and crew. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, described the aircraft as private and said it was a tragedy. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said Sunday it was launching a go-team. Investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning, and the NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause has been determined.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site and described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash that looked like a missile descending. He noted that the impact left a large crater on the side of the road and called the event a major tragedy. DeSantis reported that there were no immediate reports of ground casualties or injuries at the time of his news conference. He praised the quick response of Palm Beach County first responders and said the debris field stretched a long distance.

Air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data revealed that the jet was flying east at approximately 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. The pilot requested a climb of 2,000 feet and reported light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. The outside air temperature was recorded at minus 47 degrees Celsius, and the turbulence caused the jet to bounce by as much as 700 feet. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET in the area, warning of thunderstorms that threatened aircraft, and scattered storms were present in the region.

After the pilots reported precipitation and asked to climb, the situation changed fast as the pilot radioed mayday and said the aircraft was descending 10,000 feet per minute. The descent rate increased to 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute, and finally reached 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits. The pilot stated, We're going to crash into the ground, and CBS News reported that the pilot also said, We're out of time. The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute just before impact. Flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the data cut off, CNN reported.

Witnesses in nearby vehicles captured video of the jet plunging from the sky, striking near the roadway, and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater, which was located only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site, and video from WPBF showed the road buckled where the jet hit it. The impact occurred near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. The crash site is about four miles south of President Donald J. Trump International Airport, which was renamed earlier this year.

Anthony Blackmon, a nearby resident, said he was about 500 feet from the crash and reported that debris hit his house and everything was on fire. He stated that he had always seen such events on the news but never thought it would happen so close to someone like him. Roger Forcelle said the aircraft shook his house as it passed overhead and crashed less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino said that he heard and felt the boom, and the power immediately went out and remained out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night because the crash scene blocks the entrance to the park and is being treated as a crime scene. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who was the first county official at the scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters and the Red Cross was standing by. County officials said Palm Tran buses were ready to carry residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation. No official has alleged that a crime took place, but the area remains secure while federal investigators work.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice, open only to emergency vehicles. The county directed drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation. Heavy rain fell across the region Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon.

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

The crash is the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show it is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, after a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12. Learjet, the brand made famous by Bill Lear's Lear 23 in the 1960s, was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. Bombardier stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.

The FAA registry lists the jet as owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter, though officials have not said who operated Sunday's flight. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to provide further updates during a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. The NTSB issued a safety alert in January 2024 on in-flight icing, warning that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.