Learjet 60 crashes in Palm Beach County, killing all nine aboard after rapid descent

Nine people died Sunday, November 1, 2026, when a Learjet 60 business jet nose-dived into a neighborhood and exploded near a busy road in Palm Beach County, Florida. The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it lost altitude and struck the ground near a residential area. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths and described the event as a "horrific tragedy." The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The FAA said nine people were on board and called its information preliminary.

The jet came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, in the city of Greenacres. Greenacres has a population of about 45,000 and sits roughly seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The crash site is located about four miles south of the local airport, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier in the year. Video recorded by people in nearby cars shows the jet falling from the sky, hitting the pavement, and exploding. Flames surrounded the crater, which was located feet from nearby homes. Thick black smoke rose from the site as the road buckled under the force of the impact.

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, visited the scene and told reporters the crash looked like a missile going down. He noted that the impact left a large crater on the side of the road. DeSantis stated that there were no reports of people on the ground being killed or injured at the time of his briefing. He praised the quick response from local first responders and described the debris field as stretching a long distance. He said he thinks people will recognize this as a major tragedy.

Residents described the moment of impact in vivid terms. Anthony Blackmon, who told NBC 6 he was about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and everything was on fire. He stated, "Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire." Another neighbor, Roger Forcelle, felt the aircraft pass over his home before it crashed probably less than half a mile from where he lives. He said the shaking caused everyone in the neighborhood to come outside. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom. He said the power immediately went out and was still out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. It said Sunday it was launching a go-team, with investigators expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause has been determined yet. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press that the jet was a private aircraft. He said the airport could not confirm who was on the flight and called the event "definitely a tragedy." Officials have not released the names of the nine people killed or said how many were passengers and how many were crew.

Air traffic control recordings provide a timeline of the final moments of the flight. The jet was flying east at an altitude of approximately 35,000 feet. The pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested permission to climb 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that they had light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. The pilot reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. The turbulence was bouncing the jet by as much as 700 feet, according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the pilots reported precipitation. The pilot radioed that the aircraft was descending and declared a mayday. The descent rate increased to 10,000 feet per minute, and then to 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated, "We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute." He then said, "We're going to crash into the ground." CBS News reported that the pilot also said, "We're out of time." The descent rate reached as high as 30,000 feet per minute. This speed pushed the jet beyond its design limits. The plane banked sharply to the right before hitting the ground at a steep angle.

Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange shows the jet dropped 27,000 feet in about one minute before the data connection was lost. The FAA stated that the aircraft fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in that single minute. CNN reported that the jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began its rapid descent. Scattered storms were present in the area. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the region, which serves as a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday. The National Weather Service maintained a flood watch through Monday afternoon. Whether the weather conditions played a role in the crash has not been determined.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community were required to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials stated that the crash scene blocks the entrance to the mobile home park. The area is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators conduct their work. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents District 3, was the first county official at the scene. He said residents were being sent to two county shelters. "So we have about 600 people that we have to make sure that they have shelter tonight," Flores said. The Red Cross was standing by, and Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice. The road was open only to emergency vehicles. The county instructed drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel. For north-south travel, drivers were directed to use Haverhill Road and Kirk Road. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could remain closed for an extended time due to the crater. Officials said the timeline for reopening the road also depends on the federal investigation.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said dashcam video will be important to investigators. "That is not a controlled descent," she said. "So at that point, it's clear whatever happened, they had lost control of the plane." She noted that the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane. A flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. It is not known whether the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder. 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.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet by its registration number, N722BD. The FAA registry lists the aircraft as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported that the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not said who operated the flight on Sunday. According to Flight Safety Foundation data cited by CNN, this is the deadliest crash ever involving a Learjet 60. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina.

NTSB records show this is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year. The previous incident was a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12 people. Learjet is a brand that Bill Lear made famous with wealthy travelers in the 1960s through the Lear 23. Canadian manufacturer Bombardier most recently built Learjets. Bombardier stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes that remain in service.