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A business jet with nine people aboard nose-dived and crashed near homes in Palm Beach County, Florida, Sunday afternoon, killing everyone on board, officials said.
No one on the ground was injured, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at a news conference. Approximately 600 people were evacuated from the crash site near a mobile home park in Cresthaven, local officials said.
The Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County just before 1 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency said the aircraft had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas.
Details about what may have caused the crash had not yet been shared.
“It was like a missile coming down and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere. And to have those people on board, it’s really a tragic way to see people pass away,” DeSantis said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on X that all nine people on board have died.
“Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost,” Duffy wrote.
Air traffic control audio captured the pilot’s last communications with the ATC tower before the aircraft went down. The pilot can be heard saying they were descending 10,000 feet per minute, according to the audio on LiveATC.net. The pilot later declared an emergency, yelling, “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute.”
The pilot is later heard telling the tower: “We’re gonna crash … We’re out of time.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it is launching a go-team to investigate the crash, with investigators expected to arrive later Sunday and Monday morning.
Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press that the jet was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.
“This is definitely a tragedy,” he said.
Video from dashboard cameras in cars nearby captured the terrifying moment the aircraft plunged from the sky.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said all northbound and southbound lanes of Military Trail near Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North were closed until further notice.
