Learjet 60 Crashes in Palm Beach County, Killing All Nine on Board

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, on the afternoon of November 1, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft, registration N722BD, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities. The plane struck the ground near the intersection of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in the Greenacres-Cresthaven area, creating a large crater and fireball. No injuries were reported on the ground, although several homes were evacuated as a precaution.

Flight data showed the aircraft leveled at approximately 35,250 feet before entering a steep descent. It dropped from that altitude to 8,750 feet in about one minute. Flightradar24 and ADS-B records indicated a vertical descent rate that at one point exceeded 32,000 feet per minute. The entire fall from cruise altitude to impact took roughly 77 seconds.

Air traffic control recordings captured the final exchanges. Pilots reported manageable light clear ice, moderate turbulence and precipitation, and requested a climb to 37,000 feet for a better ride. Shortly afterward a Mayday call reported an overspeed condition and a descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute. One of the last transmissions was "We're out of time."

The aircraft was a 2004 Learjet 60 owned by a Delaware limited liability company, LR60271 LLC. It was operating as a private flight. Governor Ron DeSantis described the descent as looking "like a missile going down." Dashcam video from nearby roads showed the jet in a near-vertical dive before impact.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with FAA support. A go-team has been dispatched, and a media briefing was scheduled in West Palm Beach. Early focus includes the icing and turbulence reports, the rapid loss of control, and the aircraft's systems.

Military Trail was closed in both directions between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North while emergency crews worked the site. Debris was scattered across a wide area. Local officials described the impact as leaving a massive crater near the entrance to a mobile home park.

The crash occurred several miles south of Palm Beach International Airport and not far from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, though authorities have not linked the location to any specific passenger or purpose beyond the stated destination in the Bahamas.

Business jet accidents of this severity are rare, but the combination of high-altitude ice reports followed by an extreme descent has drawn attention from investigators. The NTSB will examine cockpit voice and flight data recorders if they are recoverable, along with maintenance records and weather conditions along the route.

Families of those on board have not yet been publicly identified in full. Officials have said the priority remains the recovery effort and the formal investigation. Updates are expected as the NTSB begins its on-scene work.