Learjet Crashes in Palm Beach County, Florida, Killing All 9 on Board
Last updated: November 2, 2026. This is a developing story and details may change as officials release more information.
Nine people were killed on Sunday, November 1, when a private Learjet 60 crashed near a busy road in Palm Beach County, Florida, and erupted in flames, officials said. The jet was on its way to the Bahamas.
What happened
The aircraft went down shortly before 1 p.m. local time near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, in the Greenacres area, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Video from the scene shows a large, smoking crater where the road buckled on impact. Dash-camera footage captured the jet falling from the sky.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the crash “looked like a missile going down.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths and called the crash a “horrific tragedy.”
Where the flight was headed
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Learjet 60 had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was flying to the Bahamas. FAA records show the plane is registered to a company in Delaware, and it is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not yet identified the nine people on board or said how many were passengers and how many were crew.
The pilot’s final calls
Air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net indicate that, minutes before the crash, the pilot reported ice building up on the aircraft, an outside temperature of about -47°C (-53°F) and moderate turbulence that was bouncing the plane by up to 700 feet.
Moments later, after reporting precipitation and asking to climb, the crew declared an emergency. “Mayday, mayday… we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said, later reporting an overspeed condition and a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. Flight-tracking data from ADS-B Exchange shows the jet dropped about 27,000 feet in roughly one minute before the data was lost.
The plane had also passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before the descent, and the area was under an FAA convective SIGMET warning for thunderstorms. Officials have not said whether the weather contributed to the crash.
Impact on the ground
Officials said there were no reports of anyone on the ground being killed, but the crash created a significant debris field. About 600 residents needed shelter because of the damage and were sent to two county shelters while the site is investigated. One witness told CNN he heard and felt a boom, lost power immediately and saw a large black cloud of smoke. Military Trail remains closed in both directions until further notice, and drivers are asked to avoid the area.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA are investigating. NTSB investigators were due to arrive at the site on Sunday and Monday, with a news conference planned for Monday. Dash-camera video is expected to be important in piecing together what happened. Aviation analysts have noted that the rate of descent suggests the crew lost control of the aircraft, but the cause has not been determined.
According to NTSB records cited by CNN, this is the second-deadliest plane crash in the United States this year, after a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12. Flight Safety Foundation data cited by CNN indicate it is the deadliest accident involving a Learjet 60.
What we don’t know yet
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The identities of the nine people on board
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The cause of the crash and whether weather or an in-flight failure played a role
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Whether the flight recorders survived the fire
We will update this article as officials release more information.
Sources: CNN, BBC, NPR, NBC Miami, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, FAA, NTSB. Video images are screenshots from news broadcasts and amateur footage; credit the original sources and confirm usage rights before publishing.
