Learjet plane crash in Florida kills all 9 on board: What we know

A private jet bound for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Fla., Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board.

The Learjet 60, which had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, went down at about 12:50 p.m. ET near Cresthaven, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

Dashcam footage posted to social media by an eyewitness showed the aircraft falling toward the ground beside a road and exploding into a fireball, narrowly missing cars and homes.

Duffy called the crash a "horrific tragedy" in a post on X , adding: "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost."

Air traffic control audio posted on LiveATC captured the crew's comments leading up to the crash. Someone in the cockpit can be heard saying "Mayday, mayday," reporting the plane was descending at 10,000 feet per minute, Reuters reported. "We're going to crash into the ground," the person said.

The impact left a "massive crater" near the entrance to a mobile home park, Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said at a news conference. About 600 residents were evacuated to two shelters, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation, and the cause is not yet known.

The Learjet 60 took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA records list the owner as a Delaware corporation.

The National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect for the area of the crash, Palm Beach County, through Monday afternoon, with rain expected on and off across South Florida.

In air traffic control audio posted on LiveATC, someone in the cockpit said they were "managing the ice" but faced "moderate" turbulence and were seeking "better rides." AP reported the crew also asked to climb.

Less than a minute later, the person said "Mayday, mayday," reporting the plane was suddenly descending at 10,000 feet per minute. Seconds later, the person declared an emergency, with the descent rate reaching 20,000 feet per minute.

Less than 20 seconds later, the person said: "We're going to crash into the ground," before reporting the descent rate had reached 22,000 feet per minute as the plane began to bank.

Flightradar24 data showed the vertical descent rate at one point exceeded 32,000 feet per minute. The last words heard from the cockpit were "we're out of time."

Accuweather reported that thunderstorms in the area produced heavy rainfall and lightning.

Driver Aki Kuusisto's dashcam footage captured the moment the jet hit the ground. "I heard a whistling noise, a big bang, and I saw a fireball," he told CBS News . "It felt like it was right next to us... you could feel it in the car."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone injured on the ground.

Authorities haven't confirmed what caused the crash or identified the people on board. Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, told the Associated Press that ice and turbulence could have caused the plane to stall.

The FAA said the aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when the crash took place.

The FAA said it was investigating and would provide further updates.

DeSantis told reporters during a Sunday briefing that there were no reports of anyone on the ground being injured despite "a lot of debris" that was strewn over a "pretty significant distance."

"It was a cataclysmic plane crash," DeSantis said. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash a "horrific tragedy" and said the FAA and Department of Transportation would be investigating the incident.

Anthony Blackmon, who lives around 500 feet from the site of the crash, told NBC Miami that debris from the crash struck his home.

"Debris was everywhere," he said. "Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire. I've always seen it on the news, never thought it would happen so close to somebody like how it happened today."

Adam Itayem told WPTV , "It sounded like a loud boom. I thought it was thunder," adding, "I saw a big crater in the ground and water coming out of the crater and a big fire too."

"I heard and felt the boom," Andrew Mannino told CNN , saying he saw a "large black cloud immerse in the air," adding, "The power immediately went out and is still out."

Around 600 people were evacuated by Palm Beach County authorities while federal officials investigate the crash.

"We're waiting for someone to give us answers about what we're going to do, because they're not even letting us into the community to get our clothes," local resident Jesus Solorzano told WPTV.