Learjet Nose-Dives in Palm Beach County, Killing Nine

A Learjet 60 business jet nose-dived into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board on Sunday, November 1, 2026. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities in a post on social media, describing the event as a horrific tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration stated the jet struck the ground near 12:50 p.m. Eastern time after departing from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and heading toward North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The aircraft descended from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in a single minute according to FAA data, a drop that flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange recorded as approximately 27,000 feet before the signal ceased. The jet was flying east at approximately 35,000 feet when the pilots reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation. Air traffic control recordings indicate the pilot requested a climb of 2,000 feet and noted light, clear ice that was manageable alongside moderate turbulence. The outside air temperature was reported at minus 47 degrees Celsius, and the aircraft was bouncing by as much as 700 feet.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the precipitation report. The pilot radioed, "We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday, we're descending 10,000 feet per minute." The pilot later reported an overspeed condition with a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. According to CBS News, the pilot also stated the crew was out of time. The descent rate peaked at 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the aircraft beyond its design limits. The plane banked sharply to the right before impacting the ground at a steep angle.

The crash site is located near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres, a city of approximately 45,000 residents about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The site is about four miles south of the airport in West Palm Beach, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the crash as cataclysmic, noting the jet left a large crater on the side of the road. He said there were no reports at the time of the news conference of anyone on the ground being killed or injured and praised the quick response of local first responders.

Video recorded by people in nearby cars showed the jet striking the area near the roadway and exploding. Flames surrounded chunks of pavement in the crater, which was located feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site, and the road buckled where the impact occurred. Nearby resident Anthony Blackmon, who said he was about 500 feet from the crash, told NBC 6 that debris hit his house and the road caught fire. Roger Forcelle said the aircraft passed over his home, shaking the structure, before crashing less than half a mile away. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom, and the power went out immediately.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials stated the crash scene blocks the entrance to the mobile home park and is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. No official has alleged a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who was the first county official on scene, said residents were being moved to two county shelters. He noted that the Red Cross was standing by and Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents once law enforcement cleared the way.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice, restricting access to emergency vehicles only. 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 remain closed for an extended period because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and launched a go-team on Sunday. Investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning, with a media briefing planned for Monday in West Palm Beach. No cause has been determined. The FAA stated that its information on the nine people on board is preliminary. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press that the jet was a private aircraft and the airport could not confirm the identities of those on the flight.

Scattered storms were in the area, and the jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began to descend, CNN reported. The flight was in a region where the FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Whether weather played a role in the crash has not been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon. In January 2024, the NTSB issued a safety alert on in-flight icing, warning that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said dashcam video would be important to investigators. She noted that the descent was not controlled, indicating the crew had lost control of the plane. She stated that the steep dive could have torn parts off the aircraft and that a flight recorder could 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, and records show this jet was offered for charter flights.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet by registration N722BD. The FAA registry lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not identified the operator of the Sunday flight. According to Flight Safety Foundation data cited by CNN, this is the deadliest crash ever involving a Learjet 60. In 2008, four people died when a Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show this is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12.

Learjet, a brand made famous by the Lear 23 in the 1960s, was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. The company stopped producing new Learjets in 2021 but continues to support the planes in service. The jet was bound for the Bahamas and had departed from Austin, Texas. All nine individuals aboard were killed in the impact near the busy road in Greenacres.