Nine killed as Learjet crashes in Florida residential area
Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot's desperate Mayday calls before the aircraft plunged into a Florida neighbourhood on Sunday.
A Learjet 60 crashed into a residential area of Greenacres in Florida's Palm Beach County on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board, according to Moneycontrol and India Today. The aircraft was travelling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to the Bahamas when the accident occurred at approximately 12:50 pm ET.
Air traffic control recordings reveal the pilot reported manageable icing and moderate turbulence before the situation worsened. The pilot later radioed that the aircraft was descending at 10,000 feet per minute and was in an overspeed condition. In a final communication, the pilot stated the aircraft would crash into the ground.
The aircraft hit the ground near Cresthaven, creating a large crater on Military Trail. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash, noting it looked like a missile. No fatalities or injuries were reported among people on the ground, though around 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community as a precaution.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths in a post on X, describing the incident as a horrific tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in investigating the crash. Authorities have not yet established the exact cause of the accident.