US: Nine killed in Florida jet crash

A Learjet crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, according to US transportation officials. The private jet had departed 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 (FAA).

Videos circulating on social media captured the jet striking the ground near a road and subsequently exploding. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the incident as a "big-time tragedy" during a press conference near the crash site in Lake Worth Beach. He noted that the video's depiction resembled a missile descending and exploding with debris scattered everywhere.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has initiated an investigation into the crash, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy characterized as a "horrific tragedy".

The Bombardier-made Learjet 60, whose owner is listed as a Delaware corporation in FAA records, will cooperate fully with the investigation, stated Bombardier, a Canadian company. About 600 residents were evacuated from the vicinity and relocated to two shelters in Palm Beach County, as reported by Commissioner Joel Flores at a news conference. The crash site left a "massive crater" near the entrance to a mobile home park.

At the time of the crash, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were reported in the area, according to AccuWeather. An audio recording from a Miami air traffic control center, shared on the LiveATC website, provided a detailed account of the plane's final moments prior to the crash. Initially, someone in the cockpit informed an air traffic controller about managing ice, but faced moderate turbulence and sought better routes.

Less than a minute later, the person reported "Mayday, Mayday," indicating the plane had suddenly begun descending at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute.

Seconds later, the person declared an emergency, with the rate of descent accelerating to 20,000 feet per minute. Less than 20 seconds later, the individual announced they were "going to crash into the ground" as the plane's descent rate reached 22,000 feet per minute and it started banking. About 35 seconds after the initial mayday call, the last sound from the cockpit was a rapid "We're out of time."

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 reported that the vertical descent rate at one point surpassed 32,000 feet per minute.