Pilot reportedly said 'out of time' before Learjet crashed into Palm Beach County neighborhood

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential area in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft, which had departed from Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas, struck the ground near Military Trail in Greenacres. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a "horrific tragedy" in a post on social media. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time.

The jet was flying east at an altitude of roughly 35,000 feet when the pilots reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation. Air traffic control recordings indicate the crew requested to climb 2,000 feet. The situation then changed fast. The pilot radioed a mayday, reporting an overspeed condition and a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time." The jet then hit the ground at a steep angle.

CNN reported that flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the data cut off. The FAA stated the aircraft fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in that final minute. The AP reported the descent rate went as high as 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits. The jet banked sharply to the right just before impact. Officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash, but the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation.

The crash site is located on Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, approximately four miles south of the airport in West Palm Beach. The airport was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year. CNN reported that President Trump was in West Palm Beach earlier in the day and left the airport on Air Force One a little more than an hour before the crash. Greenacres, a city of about 45,000 people, is situated roughly seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The area was under a flood watch from the National Weather Service, with scattered storms and heavy rain reported across the region.

Witnesses described a violent impact that shook nearby homes and knocked out power in the neighborhood. Anthony Blackmon, a resident living about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and the road was on fire. Roger Forcelle felt the aircraft pass over his home, describing the sensation as a strong shake that prompted neighbors to emerge from their houses. Andrew Mannino heard a loud boom and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. A woman working nearby said the electricity had been out for about two hours. Video captured by drivers showed the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway, leaving flames flickering around chunks of pavement.

County officials said the scene was being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators worked, though no official has alleged that a crime took place. Approximately 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community were required to leave their homes Sunday night because the crash site blocked the entrance to the park. County Commissioner Joel Flores, who was the first county official at the scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross stood by to assist, and Palm Tran buses were prepared to transport residents once law enforcement cleared the evacuation. Flores emphasized the need to ensure shelter for the displaced residents that night.

County officials closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive to all traffic except emergency vehicles. Drivers were instructed 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.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site and spoke to reporters. He described the event as a "cataclysmic plane crash" that looked like a missile going down. DeSantis noted that the impact left a large crater on the side of the road. At the time of his news conference, there were no reports of people on the ground being killed or injured. He praised the quick response of Palm Beach County first responders. The governor added that the debris field stretched a long distance.

The aircraft, registered as N722BD, is listed in FAA records as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, confirmed the jet was a private aircraft and could not identify the individuals on board. The jet is listed online as available for charter flights. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry a cockpit voice recorder only when they are flown for hire. It is not yet known if the aircraft carried such a device. Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion.

The pilot reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius and turbulence that bounced the jet by as much as 700 feet. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the area, warning of thunderstorms that could threaten aircraft. The jet passed through a stronger storm cell shortly before beginning its descent. The NTSB issued a safety alert on in-flight icing in January 2024, noting that ice can make managing the flightpath and airspeed more difficult. Whether the weather played a role in the crash remains undetermined. Investigators are expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday morning, with a media briefing scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.

This is the deadliest crash involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. In 2008, four people died when a Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. The 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 people. Learjet was a brand made famous by Bill Lear in the 1960s. Canadian manufacturer Bombardier built the most recent models and stopped production in 2021, though it continues to support the planes in service. The NTSB is leading the investigation, and no cause has been determined.