Nine Dead as Private Jet Crashes Into Florida Roadside Near Mar-a-Lago
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A private jet carrying nine people crashed into a roadside in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, erupting into a massive fireball and killing everyone on board, in a disaster that struck a residential neighborhood about nine miles from Mar-a-Lago.
Air traffic control recordings released by the Federal Aviation Administration show the pilot reporting turbulence, ice and rain at 35,000 feet and requesting a climb of 2,000 feet. “We’re managing the ice,” the pilot said, describing “moderate turbulence” and a search for “a smoother ride.” Minutes later the aircraft fell out of the sky, dropping 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000, then 30,000 — beyond the jet’s design limits.
The pilot then declared a mayday: “Overspeed condition, descending at 20,000 feet per minute. We’re going to hit the ground.” About 35 seconds later came the final transmission: “We’re out of time.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the aircraft “just kind of fell like a missile falling out of the sky,” calling the scene “catastrophic” and describing a huge crater near the entrance to a mobile home park. About 600 residents were evacuated and sent to two shelters. No one on the ground was injured.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash “a horrific tragedy.” The National Transportation Safety Board said it had opened an investigation. The FAA said the jet’s owner is a Delaware corporation, and aircraft maker Bombardier said it was providing technical support to investigators.
Dashcam footage circulated on social media showed the aircraft plunging into the ground, followed by a fireball and a column of black smoke visible for miles. The jet, a Bombardier Learjet 60, came down about an hour after President Trump departed the recently renamed Palm Beach airport on Air Force One at 11:55 a.m. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were falling across the area at the time of the crash.
The identities of the nine aboard had not been released, and the investigation into the cause continued.