Nine Die in Palm Beach County When Learjet Drops 26,500 Feet

A Learjet 60 business jet dropped 26,500 feet in one minute before striking the ground in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The Federal Aviation Administration reported the impact occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The crash site is located in Greenacres, a city with a population of roughly 45,000, near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. This area sits about four miles south of President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach. The jet exploded near the roadway, creating a large crater and sending debris across the neighborhood.

Air traffic control recordings detail the rapid deterioration of the flight. While cruising at 35,000 feet, the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested a climb of 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that the ice was light, clear and manageable, and the turbulence was moderate. The pilot also noted an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. At that time, the jet was bouncing by as much as 700 feet.

The situation changed abruptly after the pilots reported precipitation. The pilot radioed a mayday call, stating the jet was descending at 10,000 feet per minute. The descent rate then increased to 20,000 feet per minute, placing the aircraft in an overspeed condition. The pilot announced that the plane was going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported that the pilot also stated, "We're out of time." Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed a 27,000 foot drop in about a minute before the signal was lost.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and deployed a go-team on Sunday. Investigators were scheduled to arrive on Sunday and Monday morning, with a media briefing planned for Monday in West Palm Beach. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the event a "horrific tragedy" in a post on X. He said the FAA was sending a team to support the NTSB's work. No cause has been determined.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the crash as "cataclysmic." He told reporters the aircraft looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road. DeSantis said there were no reports of people on the ground being killed or injured at the time of his news conference. He noted that the debris field stretched a long distance. He praised the quick response of Palm Beach County first responders.

Witnesses captured video of the jet plunging from the sky and striking the area near the roadway. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater. The site was covered in thick black smoke. WPBF video showed the road buckled where the jet hit it. The crash occurred only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles.

Anthony Blackmon, a nearby resident, said he was about 500 feet from the crash. He stated, "Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire." He added that he had never imagined it would happen so close to him. Roger Forcelle said he felt the aircraft pass over his home. He reported, "It shook the whole house. It went right over us and crashed probably less than half a mile from where I live."

Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom. He said the power immediately went out and was still out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. Another witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor hit the ground. A woman working nearby said the electricity had been out for about two hours.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community were required to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials stated the crash scene blocked the entrance to the mobile home park and was being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators worked. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who was the first county official at the scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. He said the Red Cross was standing by and Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice. The road remained open only to emergency vehicles. The county directed drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time due to the crater. Officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

Scattered storms were in the area when the jet crashed. The aircraft passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began to descend. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Whether the weather played a part has not been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said dashcam video will be important to investigators. She stated, "That is not a controlled descent." She said that at that point, it is clear the pilots had lost control of the plane. She noted that the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. It is not known whether the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry one only when they are flown for hire. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet by its registration, N722BD. The FAA registry lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not said who operated Sunday's flight. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press the jet was a private aircraft. He said, "This is definitely a tragedy." The crash is the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. It is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, after a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12. Learjet, the brand made famous by Bill Lear in the 1960s, was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.