Nine Dead After Bahamas-Bound Jet Plunges Into Florida Neighborhood

A Learjet 60 carrying nine people crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, November 1, killing everyone on board. The jet had departed Austin, Texas, and was headed for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it went down near homes in the Greenacres area, close to a busy roadway.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths and called the crash a horrific tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration said the jet crashed at about 12:50 p.m. local time, and the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with FAA support.

Air traffic recordings reported by the Associated Press captured a rapidly worsening emergency. The crew reported ice and turbulence, then a steep, uncontrolled descent. In one of the final transmissions described by the AP, the pilot warned, "We're going to crash into the ground."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured, though the crash left a large crater beside the road and appeared to narrowly miss homes. About 600 people were evacuated or needed shelter from a nearby mobile-home community while investigators worked the scene.

Officials had not publicly released the names of those aboard, and no cause had been determined. Investigators were expected to examine flight data, weather, aircraft systems, and the wreckage to establish what went wrong.