GREENACRES, Fla. — All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 were killed Sunday afternoon when the business jet plunged nose-first onto a road in Palm Beach County, leaving families waiting for names and a community shaken, according to officials.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the plane crashed at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and called it a "horrific tragedy." The jet had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down in Greenacres. A Palm Beach County sheriff's office statement said the plane crashed near a busy roadway. Video from a passing vehicle shows the jet slamming down nose-first before a fireball erupts. No one on the ground was reported killed.
Minutes before the crash, according to air traffic control recordings from LiveATC.net reported by CNN, the pilot said the plane was picking up ice and being jolted by turbulence of up to 700 feet. The pilot then issued a mayday call, reporting a rapid descent and an overspeed condition. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the crash "cataclysmic."
About 600 residents of a nearby trailer park were evacuated, and officials said it could take at least 30 days to reopen the road. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Authorities haven't said what caused the crash, haven't identified the victims and haven't said how many were crew or passengers.
For the families of the nine people on board, a Sunday flight ended in unimaginable loss. May they find strength and comfort, and may the people who lived near the crash site find peace in the days ahead.
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Nine Lives Lost in a Fiery Plunge: Learjet 60 Bound for the Bahamas Nose-Dives Into Greenacres, Florida, Killing All on Board
All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 were killed Sunday when it nose-dived onto a road in Greenacres, Florida, after leaving Austin for the Bahamas, officials said. No one on the ground was reported killed, and the cause is under investigation.
Itz Pessimist
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