Learjet Kills Nine After 27,000 Foot Dive Into Palm Beach County Road

All nine individuals aboard a Learjet 60 were killed on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when the business jet descended from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute before striking a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the death toll, describing the event as a horrific tragedy in a post on X. The Federal Aviation Administration stated the impact occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas with a destination of North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The crash site is located near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres, a city of roughly 45,000 residents situated roughly 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The site is approximately four miles south of President Donald J. Trump International Airport, which was renamed earlier this year. CNN reported that President Trump had departed the airport on Air Force One more than an hour prior to the crash. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the impact as a cataclysmic plane crash that left a large crater on the side of the road.

DeSantis stated that there were no initial reports of ground fatalities or injuries, though he noted the debris field stretched a significant distance. He praised local first responders for their rapid response. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said Sunday it was launching a go-team. Investigators were expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday morning, with a media briefing scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach. No cause has been determined yet.

Air traffic control recordings indicate the pilots reported light clear ice and moderate turbulence minutes before the crash. The pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that the ice was manageable and reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. Turbulence was recorded as bouncing the jet by up to 700 feet. After the pilots reported precipitation and asked to climb 2,000 feet, the situation changed fast.

The pilot radioed a mayday call, stating the aircraft was descending 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute in an overspeed condition. The pilot said, "We're going to crash into the ground." CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time." The descent rate peaked at 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits. The aircraft banked sharply right and hit the ground at a steep angle. ADS-B Exchange data showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the signal was lost.

Video recorded by people in nearby cars captured the jet plunging and exploding near the roadway. Flames flickered around pavement chunks lining the crater, which was feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site. WPBF video showed the road buckled where the jet struck. Resident Anthony Blackmon, located about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and everything was on fire. Roger Forcelle said the aircraft passed over his home, shaking the entire house before crashing probably less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino reported hearing a boom, losing power, and seeing a large black cloud.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes on Sunday night because the crash scene blocks the entrance to the park. County officials said the scene is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, the first county official at the scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross was on standby, and Palm Tran buses were prepared to transport residents once law enforcement approved the evacuation. No official has alleged a crime occurred.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane or Alameda Drive until further notice, allowing only emergency vehicles. Drivers were directed to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane or Alameda Drive for east-west travel and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned the road closure could last an extended period because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

The flight was in an area where the FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Scattered storms were present in the area, and the jet passed through a stronger storm cell minutes before descending. Whether weather played a role has not been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, with the National Weather Service issuing a flood watch through Monday afternoon. The NTSB had previously issued a safety alert on in-flight icing in January 2024, noting ice can make managing flightpath and airspeed difficult.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former U.S. Transportation Department inspector general, stated that the descent was not controlled, indicating the pilots had lost control of the plane. She noted the steep dive could have torn parts off the aircraft and that the flight recorder might have been destroyed in the explosion. It is unknown if the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry one only when flown for hire, and records show this specific jet was offered for charter flights.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the aircraft by registration N722BD. The FAA registry lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not identified the operator of Sunday's flight. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the jet was a private aircraft and could not specify who was on board, calling the event definitely a tragedy.

This is the deadliest crash involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. In 2008, four people died when a Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show this is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12 people. The Learjet brand, originally made famous by Bill Lear's Lear 23 in the 1960s, was last built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which stopped production in 2021 but continues to support the planes in service.