A private Learjet 60 jet crashed into a residential area in Florida, United States, killing all nine people on board.
The accident occurred amid heavy rain and thunderstorms.
According to Reuters, the crash happened on the afternoon of November 1 (local time) in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the private jet had taken off from Austin before crashing in Florida. Transportation officials said all nine people aboard the aircraft were killed.
Videos shared on social media showed the aircraft plunging toward the ground near a road before exploding. Images from the scene showed emergency responders working in an area severely damaged by the impact.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attended a press conference near the crash site in Lake Worth Beach, describing the incident as a horrific tragedy.
“This is a horrific tragedy,” DeSantis said. He noted that footage of the accident showed the aircraft plunging like a missile before triggering a massive explosion and scattering debris in multiple directions.
The crash also affected the surrounding residential community. According to Joel Flores, a Palm Beach County commissioner, the impact created a large crater beside a road near the entrance to a mobile home community.
Approximately 600 residents in the area were evacuated and relocated to two shelters arranged by the county. The evacuation was carried out to ensure public safety while authorities dealt with the crash site.
According to AccuWeather, heavy rain and thunderstorms were affecting the area when the aircraft crashed.
Audio Recording Reveals Emergency Unfolding Inside the Cockpit
One of the most notable developments in the case is an audio recording of communications between the pilot and Miami air traffic control. The recording was published on LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control communications.
According to Reuters, the recording indicates that the pilot initially reported dealing with icing conditions on the aircraft. The pilot also said the plane was experiencing moderate turbulence and that they were looking for more favorable flying conditions.
However, the situation quickly deteriorated. Less than a minute after the initial report, someone in the cockpit issued a distress call, stating that the aircraft was losing altitude at approximately 10,000 feet per minute, equivalent to more than 3,000 meters per minute.
A few seconds later, the pilot declared an emergency. The aircraft’s rate of descent was then reported to have increased to approximately 20,000 feet per minute, or more than 6,000 meters per minute.
In the following seconds, the person in the cockpit continued reporting the aircraft’s condition. The recording captured the pilot warning that the plane was about to hit the ground, while its descent rate had reached approximately 22,000 feet per minute, equivalent to nearly 6,700 meters per minute.
Approximately 35 seconds after the first distress call, the final words recorded from the cockpit were: “We’re out of time.”
Data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft’s vertical descent rate exceeded 32,000 feet per minute at one point, equivalent to nearly 9,800 meters per minute.
These details indicate that the aircraft experienced a severe loss of altitude within an extremely short period. However, the cause of the emergency has not yet been determined.
NTSB Launches Investigation Into Cause of Crash
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to determine what caused the accident. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also described the incident as a horrific tragedy.
According to FAA records, the crashed Learjet 60 was manufactured by Bombardier. The Canada-based aerospace company said the aircraft was owned by a company incorporated in Delaware, United States.
A Bombardier representative stated that the company would provide full support and cooperate with authorities throughout the investigation.
Investigators have not yet released any conclusions regarding the cause of the crash. Factors including weather conditions, the aircraft’s technical condition, and events inside the cockpit will need to be examined to establish what happened before the Learjet plunged into the residential area.
The accident continues to raise questions about the sequence of events that led to the disaster, particularly given that the pilot issued an emergency call before the aircraft began losing altitude at an extraordinary rate within just a few dozen seconds.
Sources: kenh14