All nine people aboard a business jet were killed when it crashed into a road in Florida, with cockpit recordings indicating that the crew struggled with severe turbulence and ice shortly before impact.
The Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven in Palm Beach County at about 12:50pm local time on Sunday, leaving a large crater and triggering a fireball.
The aircraft was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it went down, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Audio recordings from air traffic control captured a crew member reporting moderate turbulence and difficulties managing ice before the aircraft began a rapid descent.
The crew later declared an emergency, with one member reporting that the jet was descending at 20,000ft per minute and warning: “We are going to crash into the ground.”
The final cockpit remark, about 35 seconds after the initial mayday call, was: “We’re out of time.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described footage of the crash circulating on social media as disturbing, likening the aircraft’s descent to a missile.
“It’s like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere,” he said.
Authorities said there were no immediate reports of casualties among people on the ground, although the crash caused extensive damage to nearby infrastructure.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a mass casualty incident as emergency teams responded. Local officials said damaged water lines and other repairs would keep the affected road closed for at least 30 days.
About 600 residents of a nearby trailer-park community were ordered to evacuate while authorities assessed the damage.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a “horrific tragedy” and said the FAA was deploying a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board with its investigation.
The crash occurred about nine miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump had left the area aboard Air Force One about an hour before the incident.
Authorities had yet to release the identities of the nine people killed.
Discussion0