'Like a missile.' Officials probe jet crash that killed 9 in Florida
Authorities were working to determine what led a business jet to crash into a South Florida community, killing all nine people on board and causing extensive damage.
Officials say a Learjet 60 en route
to the Bahamas from Austin crashed around 12:50 p.m. ET Nov. 1 in Palm Beach County, less than 10 miles from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Videos show the plane nosedive into the ground near a busy road and the entrance of a mobile home community before erupting into flames. The crash sparked multiple fires and scattered debris across a wide area, forcing around 600 people to evacuate their homes.
All nine people on the plane, who have not been identified, were killed in the wreck. No one on the ground was hurt or injured, officials said.
During a brief news conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described the accident as a "cataclysmic plane crash."
"It was a big-time tragedy that happened," DeSantis said at a news conference near the crash site in Lake Worth Beach. "When you see that video, it's a jarring thing. It was like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere."
The cause of the crash remains unknown. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were occurring in the area at the time, forecaster AccuWeather said in a statement. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts up to 25 mph and reported a visibility of seven miles.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide updates.
'We’re out of time'
The FAA said the Learjet 60 departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed.
Moments before the crash, a person in the cockpit said the crew was "managing the ice," encountering "moderate" turbulence and seeking "better rides," according to audio posted by LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control communications.
Less than a minute later, the person issued a mayday call and reported the aircraft was descending at 10,000 feet per minute. Seconds later, they declared an emergency and said the descent rate had accelerated to 20,000 feet per minute.
"We're going to crash into the ground," the person said. About 35 seconds after the initial distress call, the last cockpit transmission was: "We're out of time."
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said data showed the vertical descent rate at one point exceeded 32,000 feet per minute.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Reuters