Florida jet’s final moments marked by distress calls, ice warning

On Sunday afternoon, a Learjet crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, resulting in the deaths of all nine people on board, according to US transportation officials. The private jet had originated from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, as stated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Destructive videos circulating on social media depicted the plane hitting the ground alongside a road before exploding, leaving behind a significant crater near a mobile home park entrance. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the incident as a "tragic event," emphasizing the startling nature of the footage. The National Transportation Safety Board initiated an investigation into the crash, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy characterized it as a "horrific tragedy."

The Bombardier-made Learjet 60, owned by a Delaware corporation, was under Bombardier's care, which pledged full cooperation with the inquiry. The crash site left a "massive crater" and prompted the evacuation of approximately 600 residents to two shelters in the county. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were reported in the vicinity during the incident, according to AccuWeather.

An audio recording from a Miami air traffic control center provided a detailed account of the plane's final moments. Initial cockpit communication with air traffic controllers mentioned managing ice and encountering moderate turbulence, leading to a request for a better ride. Within a minute, the pilot issued a Mayday call, reporting an abrupt descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute, which escalated to 20,000 feet per minute shortly after.

Less than 20 seconds later, the pilot declared an emergency, with the descent rate accelerating to 22,000 feet per minute as the aircraft began banking. About 35 seconds after the initial Mayday alert, the last audible communication from the cockpit was a frantic "We're out of time." Flight tracking data indicated that the vertical descent rate briefly surpassed 32,000 feet per minute prior to the crash.