Nine people were killed Sunday when a Learjet 60 flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas crashed near West Palm Beach, Florida, officials said. The aircraft struck a roadway in Palm Beach County and erupted into flames.
The crash happened near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. Video from CNN affiliate WPBF showed the impact area with a buckled road and a crater where the jet came down.
The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was headed to the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The jet was registered to a Delaware limited liability company in FAA records and was listed online as available for charter.
What happened before the crash
Audio of air traffic control communications captured by LiveATC.net indicated that the pilot reported ice accumulating on the aircraft, an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius and moderate turbulence shortly before the crash. The pilot said the turbulence was moving the aircraft by as much as 700 feet.
“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” the pilot radioed the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.
After precipitation began, the crew requested a climb and declared an emergency. The pilot then reported that the jet was descending rapidly. Flight-tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed the aircraft lost about 27,000 feet in one minute before the tracking signal stopped.
- Aircraft: Learjet 60
- Route: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to the Bahamas
- Crash area: Near Military Trail in Palm Beach County, about four miles south of the airport in West Palm Beach
- Fatalities: Nine
Federal investigation announced
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the incident a “horrific tragedy.”
According to NTSB records cited by CNN Newsource, the crash was the second-deadliest aviation crash in the United States this year. A June skydiving-plane crash in Butler, Missouri, killed 12 people.
Investigators from the FAA and NTSB are expected to examine the aircraft, the flight data and the circumstances surrounding the reported icing, turbulence and rapid descent as part of the federal inquiry.
