Nine killed as private jet crashes near Mar-a-Lago in Florida, officials say
A Learjet 60 flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, US officials said.
All nine people on board a private jet were killed on Sunday when the aircraft crashed into a residential area of Palm Beach County in southern Florida, United States officials have said, in one of the deadliest private aviation accidents in the region in recent years.
The aircraft, a Learjet 60, had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it came down at about 12:50 pm Eastern Time near the community of Cresthaven, on the edge of West Palm Beach, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the death toll in a statement, calling the crash a horrific tragedy. "Today's plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida is a horrific tragedy," he said, adding that all nine people aboard had been killed. The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would lead the investigation into what caused the aircraft to fall from the sky.
The crash site lies near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, close to a mobile home park, and only a few miles from Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort home of President Donald Trump. Officials stressed that there was no indication the aircraft was targeting the resort, and the president was not in Florida at the time: he was due to address a Republican rally in Iowa later on Sunday, two days before the US midterm elections.
According to flight-tracking data cited by news reports, the jet departed Austin at about 9:37 am local time and climbed to a cruising altitude of about 41,000 feet as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico, before descending to about 35,000 feet over Florida. As it approached West Palm Beach, the aircraft is reported to have made a sudden hard right turn before plunging toward the ground, with its last recorded descent rate close to the limit of what tracking systems can measure.
Witnesses described a massive fireball as the aircraft struck the ground, and emergency crews rushed to the scene as smoke rose over the neighbourhood. The FAA identified the aircraft's tail number as N722BD. Authorities have not yet released the names of those on board, and it remains unclear whether anyone on the ground was injured.
The Learjet 60 is a mid-size business jet that typically carries up to eight passengers plus crew, and is widely used for private and charter flights across the Americas. Aviation safety experts note that investigators will now examine the aircraft's flight data and cockpit voice recorders, maintenance records, weather conditions at the time, and air traffic control communications to establish the sequence of events.
Bad weather was reported in the area at the time of the crash, according to early accounts, and investigators will assess whether it played a role. The NTSB's preliminary findings are usually released within weeks, while a full report determining the probable cause can take a year or more.
The crash comes at a politically charged moment in the United States, with the country two days away from midterm elections on Tuesday, and with President Trump scheduled to campaign in Iowa on Sunday evening. The proximity of the crash site to Mar-a-Lago drew immediate attention, but officials and local media made clear that the aircraft was on a routine route from Texas to the Bahamas and that no link to the president had been suggested.
Local authorities closed roads around the crash site as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze and investigators secured the wreckage. Residents in the surrounding area were asked to stay clear while recovery and evidence-gathering work continued into the evening.
Further details, including the identities of the victims and the findings of the early investigation, are expected in the coming days as the NTSB and FAA continue their work. For now, the crash stands as a stark reminder of the risks of private aviation, even on a routine flight between two familiar destinations.
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