Nine people were killed on Sunday, 1 November 2026, when a small business jet crashed into a neighbourhood in South Florida and burst into flames. There were no survivors on board, officials said. No one on the ground was reported killed or hurt in the first hours after the crash, but hundreds of local people had to leave their homes.
The plane was a Learjet 60. It had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was flying to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It came down at about 12:50 p.m. local time near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in Palm Beach County, between Greenacres and Palm Springs, close to Cresthaven.
What happened on Sunday afternoon
Video shared online showed the jet falling very fast, almost straight down, before it hit the ground near a busy road. It exploded into a large fireball, left a big crater beside the road, scattered debris over a wide area, and started several fires in a mobile home neighbourhood.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called it a “cataclysmic plane crash” and said it looked like a missile going down.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people on board had died. He called the crash a “horrific tragedy” in a social media post. The names of the nine people had not been released, and officials said families would be told first.
A neighbourhood forced to leave home
The sheriff’s office closed all lanes of Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North and asked drivers to avoid the area.
About 600 residents were evacuated to two shelters, with the Red Cross on standby. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said the county’s first job was to make sure those people had shelter and food for the night. Residents of the nearby mobile home community could not stay in their homes because their neighbourhood entrance had become part of the investigation scene.
Flores also warned that the road would take time to repair. He pointed to a massive crater on Military Trail and said he did not see the road reopening in the next 30 days.
The final minutes in the air
An audio recording from a Miami air traffic control centre, shared by LiveATC, captured the crew’s final messages. A person in the cockpit said the crew was “managing the ice”, facing moderate turbulence, and looking for smoother air.
Less than a minute later, the crew made a mayday call and reported a descent of 10,000 feet per minute. Seconds later, the reported rate had doubled to 20,000 feet per minute. The crew then said, “We’re going to crash into the ground,” and reported 22,000 feet per minute while the plane began to bank. About 35 seconds after the first distress call, the last transmission was: “We’re out of time.”
Flightradar24 said its data showed a vertical descent rate above 32,000 feet per minute at one point. The jet had been cruising at about 41,000 feet earlier in the flight. These details come from flight data and recorded radio calls. They do not, on their own, explain why the plane went down.
Weather at the time
Weather in the West Palm Beach area was overcast, with rain and lightning reported. Winds were from the east at about 15 miles per hour, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour, and visibility was seven miles. A stalled weather front had pushed freezing cloud tops tens of thousands of feet high, a situation that can create icing problems for aircraft. But officials have not said that weather or icing caused this crash. That question is for the investigators to answer.
What investigators will do next
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide updates, with the FAA supporting its work. Bombardier, the Canadian company that made the Learjet 60, said it would fully support the investigation. FAA records listed the aircraft as owned by a Delaware corporation.
For now, the cause is unknown. Investigators will examine the wreckage, the flight data, the weather, and the recorded radio calls before they draw any conclusions.
The crash site is less than seven miles from Mar-a-Lago, the resort home of US President Donald Trump, who had left on Air Force One at about 11:55 a.m., roughly an hour before the crash. There is no suggestion of any link between his movements and the crash.
For the families of the nine people on board, and for the hundreds of residents forced from their homes, the days ahead will be difficult. The road will stay closed, the investigation will take time, and the full story will only become clear when investigators publish their findings.
Sources
- USA Today / Palm Beach Post — “9 aboard business jet killed in South Florida crash, officials say” — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/11/01/florida-plane-crash-learjet-palm-beach/92552816007/
- Malay Mail (AFP) — “Nine killed as Learjet crashes near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida” — https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/11/02/nine-killed-as-learjet-crashes-near-trumps-mar-a-lago-resort-in-florida/241626
- The Indian Express (Reuters) — “Florida jet crash kills all 9 aboard Learjet 60 in Palm Beach County” — https://indianexpress.com/article/world/florida-jet-crash-aircraft-plunges-into-palm-beach-county-neighbourhood-all-9-dead-10946533/
- Firstpost — “Florida crash: 9 dead after private jet nosedives near homes in Palm Beach County, erupts in massive fireball” — https://www.firstpost.com/world/united-states/florida-crash-9-dead-after-private-jet-nosedives-near-homes-in-palm-beach-county-erupts-in-massive-fireball-14056994.html
- Mathrubhumi English — “Business Jet Crashes in South Florida Fireball: All 9 On Board Killed in Greenacres” — https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/world/business-jet-crashes-near-busy-south-florida-roadway-killing-all-9-passengers-pio883iq
- Live Storm Chasers (Facebook reel, found via social search) — reconstruction of the Learjet 60 crash with weather radar, flight track and Miami Center ATC audio — https://www.facebook.com/reel/1850980572578832/
Note: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s “horrific tragedy” statement was reported by the outlets above; no direct X post link was found, so no X reference is cited directly.
