Learjet 60 Crashes in Florida, Killing All 9 on Board — NTSB Launches Investigation

A Bombardier Learjet 60XR, the same aircraft type involved in the crash, pictured in flight — Image via Wikimedia Commons

A business jet carrying nine people crashed into a South Florida neighborhood on Sunday, November 1, killing everyone on board and scattering fiery debris across a busy roadway, according to federal officials.

What happened

• The Bombardier Learjet 60 came down at about 12:50 p.m. ET near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, in an unincorporated area between Greenacres and Palm Springs in Palm Beach County, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
• U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed all nine people aboard were killed, calling the crash a "horrific tragedy" in a social media post.
• The jet plunged toward the ground at a steep angle and erupted in flames; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it looked "like a missile going down."
• Remarkably, officials had no immediate reports of deaths or injuries on the ground, though the crash left a crater beside the road and closed all lanes of Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.

The flight

• According to the FAA, the aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
• FAA records list the Learjet 60, registered N722BD, as owned by a Delaware corporation, LR60271 LLC of Wilmington.
• Flight-tracking data reviewed by Flightradar24 showed the jet descending at one point at a rate exceeding 32,000 feet per minute; the steep descent began around 35,000 feet after the aircraft had cruised at about 41,000 feet.
• The Associated Press reported that pilots had mentioned turbulence, precipitation and ice accumulation during the flight — details officials stressed are not a finding of cause.

Investigation underway

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with the FAA's assistance. As of Sunday night, officials said there was no indication the aircraft was shot down, and the cause remained unknown. John I. Leonard High School, near the crash site, was closed Monday while emergency crews worked.

It is one of the deadliest U.S. business-jet accidents of the year, and investigators face weeks of work documenting the wreckage field, recovering recorders and analyzing radar and maintenance data before answers emerge.