Learjet 60 Breaks Up in Flight Before Palm Beach County Crash Killing Nine

The National Transportation Safety Board reported evidence of an in-flight breakup on the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1, 2026, killing all nine people on board.

The aircraft, registered N722BD and operated as a Part 135 charter by Aurora Aviation doing business as Upper Jets, left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas at 10:37 a.m. Eastern Time. It was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. Two pilots and seven passengers were aboard.

At 12:47 p.m., while flying at about 35,000 feet over the area, the crew told Miami air traffic controllers they were picking up light clear ice that remained manageable, along with moderate turbulence. The outside temperature was minus 47 degrees Celsius, roughly minus 53 degrees Fahrenheit. The plane was deviating in altitude by about 700 feet.

Minutes later the crew reported precipitation and requested a climb to 37,000 feet. Controllers approved the request. Almost immediately afterward the pilot reported a rapid descent. The crew issued a mayday call. Descent rates reached 20,000 feet per minute. The final transmission came roughly 35 seconds after the mayday. Copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, age 20, was heard screaming on the radio.

The aircraft hit the ground near the intersection of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in the Greenacres and Cresthaven area at approximately 12:51 p.m. It struck almost vertically, leaving a crater in the roadway and scattering debris. One person in a vehicle on the ground sustained a leg injury. No one on the ground was killed.

NTSB member Tom Chapman said at a November 2 briefing that investigators found evidence some components separated from the aircraft before impact. He did not specify which parts. Recovery of major wreckage from the crater remains a primary obstacle. The board has about 20 investigators on scene.

The 2004 Learjet 60 is registered to LR60271 LLC, a Delaware entity. It is listed as available for charter. FAA data showed the plane descended from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute. Dashcam video from the ground captured the final seconds of the near-vertical dive and fireball.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the impact as looking like a missile. The crash site lies several miles south of the airport formerly known as Palm Beach International, now President Donald J. Trump International Airport, and about 14 kilometers from Mar-a-Lago.

The NTSB expects a preliminary report within 30 days. A final report with probable cause typically takes one to two years. Investigators are examining the role of the reported icing and turbulence. Icing on control surfaces has caused loss-of-control accidents in other business jets when it disrupts airflow over the horizontal stabilizer.

The flight operated under instrument conditions with a convective SIGMET active for southern Florida. METAR reports from nearby stations showed light rain, gusty winds, and broken to overcast clouds. The crew had asked about better ride conditions ahead.

All nine occupants died. Officials have not released a full passenger list. The 20-year-old copilot has been identified in multiple reports. The NTSB has not confirmed who was flying at the moment of the upset.

Business jet accidents involving rapid high-altitude descents and structural breakup remain rare but have occurred when ice or mechanical issues combine with high speeds. The Learjet 60 has a service ceiling above 40,000 feet and is certified for flight in known icing. The aircraft type has accumulated more than 400 units built since the early 1990s.

Local schools closed the following day. Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office quarantined the site for federal investigators. The FAA and NTSB continue to examine radar tracks, air traffic recordings, and any recovered flight data.

The sequence from normal cruise report to mayday and impact lasted under five minutes. The extreme descent rate left little time for recovery once control was lost.