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

A Learjet 60 carrying nine people crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, on 1 November 2026. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that all nine people on board were killed. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the route and the number of occupants.

The crash occurred around 12:50 p.m. local time near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, in the Greenacres area. The jet descended rapidly. Flight-tracking data showed a drop of roughly 27,000 feet in one minute before contact was lost. The impact buckled the road and left a crater. Video from the scene showed the aircraft nose-diving and erupting in a fireball close to passing vehicles and homes. No immediate reports confirmed injuries on the ground.

The aircraft, registered N722BD, is listed as available for charter and is registered to a limited liability company in Delaware. The crash site lies about four miles south of Palm Beach International Airport, which was renamed for President Donald Trump earlier in the year. Scattered storms were present in the area at the time. The plane had passed through a stronger storm cell minutes before the descent began. Investigators have not yet determined whether weather contributed to the accident.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closed the affected section of Military Trail in both directions and advised motorists to use alternate routes. Fire rescue units described the incident as extended. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will lead the inquiry and release updates. The crash is the second-deadliest aviation accident in the United States this year according to NTSB records, after a June skydiving plane crash in Missouri that killed 12.

Early video and photographs showed debris scattered across the roadway and smoke rising from the impact site. A nearby worker reported that electricity in the immediate area was out for about two hours after the crash. The rapid descent from cruise altitude left little time for any emergency response while the aircraft was still airborne. Once on the ground, emergency crews focused on securing the site and extinguishing residual fires.

Identification of the occupants has not been released. The operator and the purpose of the flight remain under review as part of the investigation. The sequence, from normal cruise to a steep descent ending in impact within minutes, will form the core of the NTSB’s preliminary report. Until that report appears, the publicly confirmed facts are the aircraft type, the number of people on board, the origin and intended destination, the location of impact, and the statement that all nine aboard were killed.