Nine people were killed after a Bahamas-bound Learjet crashed and burst into flames in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
The crash occurred near Cresthaven, approximately nine miles (14 kilometres) from Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s resort in the affluent Palm Beach County area.
According to National Transportation Safety Board records, the incident is the second-deadliest aviation crash in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that claimed 12 lives.
Authorities have not yet identified the nine people aboard the aircraft or confirmed how many were passengers and crew members.
Florida’s governor said there were no reports of fatalities among people on the ground, although the crash created a significant debris field. A county official said approximately 600 residents required shelter after the crash site blocked the entrance to a mobile home park, preventing them from remaining in their homes.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who confirmed the deaths, described the incident as a “horrific tragedy”.
Pilot Reported Severe Conditions Before Crash
The incident is reportedly the deadliest crash involving a Learjet 60, according to data from the Flight Safety Foundation. In 2008, a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed during takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina, killing four people.
Minutes before Sunday’s crash, the pilot reportedly informed air traffic control that ice was accumulating on the aircraft. The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius and moderate turbulence that caused the aircraft to fluctuate by as much as 700 feet, according to recordings of air traffic control communications captured by LiveATC.net.
Shortly afterwards, the pilot reported precipitation and requested to climb before declaring an emergency.
“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said in the recording.
The pilot then reported an overspeed condition and a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute, warning that the aircraft was going to crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the Learjet 60 was travelling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to the Bahamas.
Source: CNN
