Learjet 60 Crashes in Palm Beach County Killing All Nine Aboard

A privately owned Learjet 60, registration N722BD, crashed near the intersection of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in the Greenacres area of Palm Beach County, Florida, at approximately 12:50 local time on 1 November 2026. All nine people on board died. One person on the ground was injured. The aircraft was manufactured in 2004 and registered to a Delaware corporation, LR60271 LLC. It had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said on 2 November that evidence indicates the aircraft may have broken up before hitting the ground at high speed. The impact created a large crater beside the road, partially filled with water from heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the area. Debris was scattered, and parts of the aircraft may be found some distance from the main impact site.

Air traffic control audio captured the crew reporting ice accumulation at 35,000 feet, an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius, and moderate turbulence. Moments later the pilots reported a descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute that increased to 20,000 feet per minute. The final transmission included the statement that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition and was going to crash into the ground. Flight tracking data showed a descent of 27,000 feet in one minute before the signal ended.

Among those killed were Austin-based technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, the children's caregiver Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, and the two pilots. One of the pilots was 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, who had obtained her pilot's license at age 17.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the crash as cataclysmic and said the aircraft appeared to go down like a missile. Video from a passing vehicle showed the jet striking the ground nose-first and erupting into a fireball a short distance from homes and businesses. The site is a few miles south of Palm Beach International Airport and southwest of Mar-a-Lago.

The NTSB has recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. Preliminary findings focus on the rapid descent, the reported icing, and the possible in-flight breakup. Heavy weather was present in the area at the time. No definitive cause has been stated. The investigation will examine the sequence from the icing report through the loss of control and structural failure.

The Learjet 60 is a mid-size business jet with a typical cruise altitude in the mid-40,000-foot range. Icing at high altitude can affect engine performance and aerodynamic surfaces if not managed. The reported descent rates of 10,000 to 22,000 feet per minute far exceed normal emergency descent profiles and are consistent with a loss of control or structural failure.

Local emergency services secured the scene overnight. The crater and scattered debris remain under NTSB control. Families of the victims have been notified. The aircraft's owner, a Delaware LLC, has not issued a public statement.

The factual record so far rests on NTSB statements, ATC audio, flight tracking data, and video of the impact. The precise initiating event—whether icing-related loss of control, mechanical failure, or another factor—remains under investigation.