A Learjet 60 carrying nine people fell out of the sky Sunday afternoon and exploded in a neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing everyone on board, federal officials said.
The jet, tail number N722BD, took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It crashed around 12:50 p.m. near South Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, beside a mobile home park in the Cresthaven area near Greenacres.
Flight tracking data showed the jet cruising at about 35,000 feet before it plunged, dropping roughly 27,000 feet in about a minute before the signal cut off, according to ADS-B Exchange data cited by CNN.
Listen: the flight’s final minutes
In the air traffic control recording below, the crew talks with Miami Center controllers as the flight gets into trouble, declares a mayday and reports the jet going down fast. It is not easy listening.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said all nine people on board were killed, calling the crash “a horrific tragedy.” Officials had not confirmed any deaths or injuries on the ground as of Sunday afternoon, and the names of the people on board had not been released.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a mass casualty incident at the scene. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closed Military Trail in both directions around Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, and the NTSB will lead. No cause has been given. FAA records list the jet, built in 2004 with serial number 60-271, as registered to LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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