A private jet carrying nine people crashed in a Florida residential area, killing everyone on board and triggering a massive fire that engulfed part of the roadside.
The Learjet 60 went down near the Cresthaven neighborhood on Sunday, November 1, around 12:50 p.m. local time, approximately eight miles from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft crashed in the residential area after departing Austin, Texas, for the Bahamas.
Video captured by a passing motorist reportedly shows the jet descending rapidly in a nose-dive before striking the roadside. The impact sparked an enormous fireball, leaving behind a burning crash site.
Footage from the aftermath showed a smouldering crater where the aircraft came down.
All nine people on board confirmed dead
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people on board the aircraft had died.
The confirmation brought a tragic end to the search for survivors following the devastating crash.
TMZ also reported obtaining dispatch audio capturing communications surrounding the aircraft’s final moments. The recording adds to the available documentation of the emergency, although the cause of the crash has not been established in the supplied report.
Emergency response shuts down nearby road
Palm Beach Fire and Rescue warned residents and motorists to avoid the area as emergency crews responded to the incident.
In a public statement, the department announced that Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, had been closed to all traffic.
“Aircraft Incident. Military Trail between Cresthaven and 10th Avenue N closed to all traffic. Avoid the area. This will be an extended incident,” the department said.
The closure was necessary as emergency personnel continued working at the scene.
Crash investigation
The circumstances that led to the Learjet 60 going down remain unclear based on the available information.
Although videos show the aircraft descending before impact, those images alone do not establish what caused the crash.
Investigators will need to determine the sequence of events leading to the accident, including whether mechanical problems, weather conditions or other factors played a role.
The crash has left nine people dead and drawn attention to a devastating aviation accident in a populated Florida area.
