Learjet 60 carrying nine crashes in South Florida neighborhood

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on Sunday that all nine people aboard a business jet were killed when the aircraft crashed in a South Florida neighborhood. The Learjet 60 struck the ground near a busy roadway in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m., creating a large fireball that narrowly missed nearby homes.

The aircraft had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas with the Bahamas as its destination. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for the Austin airport, identified the plane as a private jet with tail number N722BD. Reynolds described the incident as a tragedy but did not have immediate details regarding the identities of the passengers.

According to Duffy, the Federal Aviation Administration is dispatching a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in determining the cause of the crash. The NTSB is leading the investigation into how the jet descended from the sky so rapidly.

Witnesses in the area captured video of the aircraft plunging toward the ground. The jet exploded upon impact near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. Flames spread across the wreckage, which landed only feet from houses and inches from moving vehicles. Thick black smoke rose from the crash site as emergency crews arrived on the scene.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closed roads in both directions and asked drivers to avoid the area. Firefighters and other emergency personnel worked to manage the scene. A woman working nearby reported that power to the area had been cut for approximately two hours following the impact.

Authorities did not immediately report any injuries or deaths among people on the ground. It remained unclear whether the crash caused structural damage to the nearby homes. The investigation into the circumstances of the flight continues.