A endeavor jet carrying nine group nosedived into a South Florida neighbourhood on Sunday and erupted into a elephantine fireball that appeared to fair young female homes before crashing near a occupied roadway. All passengers on commission were killed, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
Federal agencies to examine logic of 'horrific tragedy,' says transport secretary
The Associated Press
· Posted: Nov 01, 2026 4:33 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago
Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio type of this part is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are operating alongside our partners to continually assessment and enhance the results.
A endeavor jet carrying nine group nosedived into a South Florida neighbourhood on Sunday and erupted into a elephantine fireball that appeared to fair young female homes before crashing near a occupied roadway.
All passengers on commission were killed, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
Video recorded by group inner their cars captured the terrifying instant the Bahamas-bound airplane plunged from the sky before striking near the Palm Beach County roadway and exploding.
Duffy posted on X on Sunday that the Learjet 60 wrecked in Palm Beach County at 12:50 pm and called it a "horrific tragedy."
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is sending a squad to assistance the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) inquiry into the cause, he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated there were no contiguous reports of anyone on the dirt injured or killed.
Heavy rain in region
"It was a cataclysmic aircraft crash," DeSantis told reporters at the scene. "It looked akin a missile going downward and remaining a big crater on the flank of the road."
Rain pounded the area on Sunday. A flood observe because of excessive rain was in consequence through Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.
The airplane had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas, according to the FAA. Authorities did not immediately say what caused the jet to go downward or who was on it.
This screenshot shows a fiery crater in the consequence of the aircraft collision in Palm Beach County on Sunday. (Eduin Cruz via Reuters)
The aircraft was heading east at 35,000 feet whenever pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to ascend another 2,000 feet.
Moments later, the aircraft entered a steep dive, archetypal 10,000 feet per minute, afterward 20,000 feet per infinitesimal and up to 30,000 feet per minute, speeding the aircraft beyond its scheme limits, according to air traffic authority recordings and escape tracking data.
Pilot issues distress call
A aviator declared an emergency and issued distress calls. The aircraft banked sharply to the correct before it smashed into the ground.
Minutes before the crash, the aviator reported ice accumulating on the jet and turbulence that was jolting it by as much as 700 feet, according to air traffic authority recordings captured by LiveATC.net.
"We have light, apparent ice that is manageable and average turbulence," the aviator told controllers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described the aircraft collision as "cataclysmic." (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
But the circumstance quickly deteriorated. After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the aviator declared an emergency as the airplane began losing altitude at an alarming rate.
"We're descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the aviator radioed.
"We are in an overspeed circumstance descending 20,000 feet per minute," the aviator radioed, before delivering a devastating acknowledgment of what was concerning to happen. "We're going to collision into the ground."
Jim Reynolds, a spokesman for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, stated it was a personal aircraft.
He could not immediately provision particulars concerning who was on the flight.
"This is certainly a tragedy," he said.
People collect near the environment of the collision in Greenacres on Sunday. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, stated icing and turbulence could have been factors in the collision and may have caused the aircraft to stall during it was cruising at 34,000 feet.
There are many possible factors and the NTSB volition regard all of them, including how the aviator responded to the icing and turbulence reported complete the radio. But investigators won't regulation item out at this first stage, he said.
The NTSB stated investigators were expected to attain at the collision location on Sunday and Monday. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.
The collision occurred in Greenacres, Florida, according to Palm Beach County sheriff's officials. The city of 45,000 group is concerning 11 kilometres southwest of West Palm Beach.
