Nine killed as private jet crashes near homes in South Florida
All aboard a Learjet 60 travelling from Austin to the Bahamas died when the aircraft crashed into a residential neighbourhood, with no apparent casualties on the ground.
By Marta Price ·
A business jet carrying nine people crashed into a residential neighbourhood in South Florida, killing everyone aboard. The aircraft was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it came down close to homes and cars, leaving burning wreckage and a crater beside a road.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths in a post on X on Sunday, describing the crash as a “horrific tragedy”. He said Federal Aviation Administration staff were heading to the site to assist an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. His account said no one on the aircraft survived.
Recordings retained by LiveATC.net captured the crew discussing difficulties in the period before the crash. The pilot initially described problems with ice as “manageable”, but later reported that the aircraft was losing altitude rapidly. The exchanges shifted from that initial assessment to an urgent warning as the plane continued to descend.
Shortly afterwards, the crew could be heard saying, “We’re going to crash into the ground”. The recordings provided an account of the escalating emergency before impact. Duffy’s announcement of federal involvement in the investigation came alongside the reports of those final exchanges from the aircraft.
The aircraft was a Learjet 60, a popular model of business jet. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport confirmed that the flight was operated by a private jet, although it did not identify the people aboard. Its route was from the Texas city to the Bahamas, with the crash occurring in South Florida.
Videos circulating online appear to capture the jet descending at a sharp angle and hitting the ground at high speed. A large explosion follows the impact. Separate footage of the aftermath appears to show flames among scattered wreckage and pieces of pavement, while people move around the surrounding area.
Despite the aircraft apparently coming down only metres from houses and vehicles, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters that there appeared to have been no casualties on the ground. His comments distinguished the apparent situation in the neighbourhood from the deaths of all nine people aboard the jet.
Speaking at the crash site, DeSantis called the incident “cataclysmic”. He said the aircraft “looked like a missile going down” and described the large crater it had left at the side of the road.
Source: Al Jazeera
