Learjet 60 Slams Into Palm Beach County Road, Killing All Nine Aboard

A Learjet 60 business jet descended 27,000 feet in approximately one minute before striking the ground in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, November 1, 2026. All nine people on board were killed, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, and the Federal Aviation Administration said nine people were on board. The aircraft was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed near Military Trail in the city of Greenacres.

The jet hit the pavement near a busy road at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The impact left a big crater, and flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining it. Thick black smoke covered the site. The crash site is located between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, in Greenacres, a city roughly 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

Officials have not yet released the names of the nine victims or specified the number of passengers versus crew. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, described the aircraft as private. He told the Associated Press that the airport could not identify the individuals on the flight. Reynolds said, "This is definitely a tragedy."

Air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data were reported by the AP. The crew reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation while flying at approximately 35,000 feet. They requested permission to climb 2,000 feet. The pilot said, "We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence." The outside air temperature was reported as minus 47 degrees Celsius.

The situation escalated quickly after the pilots reported precipitation. The pilot declared a mayday, stating the jet was descending at 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot then reported a descent of 20,000 feet per minute as the aircraft entered an overspeed condition. The pilot radioed that the jet was going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time." The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute just before the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. The NTSB said Sunday it was launching a go-team, and investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach for Monday. No cause for the crash has been determined. Duffy said the FAA is sending a team to the scene to support the NTSB's investigation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the incident a horrific tragedy in a post on X. He asked the public to pray for the families of those lost.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site. He described the scene as a cataclysmic plane crash that looked like a missile going down. DeSantis noted that the impact left a big crater on the side of the road. He stated there were no reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured at the time of his news conference. He praised the quick response of Palm Beach County first responders.

Residents in the surrounding neighborhood felt the impact. Anthony Blackmon, who told NBC 6 he was about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and the road caught fire. Roger Forcelle said he felt the aircraft pass over his home, shaking the building. He estimated the crash occurred less than half a mile from his residence. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom and that the power immediately went out. He saw a large black cloud rise into the air.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes on Sunday night. The crash scene blocks the entrance to the mobile home park and is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work, county officials said. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents District 3, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. Flores said the Red Cross was standing by, and Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive to all traffic except emergency vehicles. The county advised drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel. For north-south travel, officials recommended Haverhill Road and Kirk Road. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

Scattered storms were in the area. The jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before the descent. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the area, warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon. Whether the weather contributed to the crash has not been determined.

The aircraft was registered as N722BD. FAA registry data lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. The jet is listed online as available for charter flights. Officials have not said who operated the specific Sunday flight. In January 2024, the NTSB issued a safety alert on in-flight icing, noting that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said the descent was not controlled. She said the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. It is not known if the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder, as FAA rules only require multi-engine jets to carry one when flown for hire. The crash is the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. Learjet was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.