Learjet crash in Palm Beach County kills all nine aboard
A Learjet 60 flying from Austin to the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people aboard. About 600 nearby residents needed shelter for the night, a county official said. The FAA and the NTSB are investigating, and no cause has been given.
All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 died when the business jet crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, NBC News and The Palm Beach Post report. The jet had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
NBC News says the jet came down near Cresthaven, a residential neighborhood. The Palm Beach Post places the crash near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, in an unincorporated area between Greenacres and Palm Springs, and says it hit a mobile home neighborhood. There were no reports of anyone on the ground being hurt, the two outlets report.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called it a "cataclysmic" crash. "It looked like a missile going down," he said. "It left a big crater on the side of the road." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash a "horrific tragedy."
In air traffic control audio, a person in the cockpit issued a mayday call and reported the jet was falling at 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000. NBC News says the speaker had reported "light, clear ice" about two minutes earlier and called it "manageable." The Post reports the last transmission from the cockpit: "We're out of time."
FAA records list the jet's owner as a company in Delaware. Bombardier, which made the jet, said it would support the investigation. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, and the Post says the NTSB will lead. NBC News reports the names of those aboard have not been released.
County Commissioner Joel Flores said about 600 people needed shelter on Sunday night. Residents of a nearby mobile home community could not stay in their homes, the outlets report.
What we know: All nine people aboard died, and federal investigators are looking into the crash.
What we don't: What caused the jet to fall, and who was on board.
Where outlets agree NBC News and The Palm Beach Post agree that all nine people aboard the Learjet 60 died and that about 600 nearby residents needed shelter.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.