Aircraft Descends From 35,000 Feet, Crashing Near Busy Road in Greenacres

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths and described the incident as a horrific tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the jet hit the ground 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 people. The jet struck near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. This spot is about four miles south of the West Palm Beach airport, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year.

Flight data indicates the jet was flying east at approximately 35,000 feet before the descent began. Air traffic control recordings show the pilot reported light, clear ice, moderate turbulence, and precipitation. The pilot requested to climb 2,000 feet, noting an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the climb request. The pilot radioed Miami Air Route Traffic Control, declaring a mayday. The aircraft entered an overspeed condition while descending at 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated that the jet was going to crash into the ground, and CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time."

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash. The NTSB said Sunday it was launching a go-team, with investigators expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No official cause has been determined yet.

Video recorded by people in nearby cars captured the jet plummeting from the sky. The aircraft struck near the roadway and exploded, leaving a crater lined with chunks of pavement. Flames and thick black smoke covered the site, and the road buckled where the jet impacted. The debris field stretched a long distance, and one resident said debris hit his house and the road was on fire.

Anthony Blackmon, a resident about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and everything was on fire. Roger Forcelle felt the aircraft pass over his home, causing the house to shake. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom and that the power immediately went out and was still out. Another witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor had hit the ground.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the crash as cataclysmic. He noted that the jet looked like a missile coming down and left a large 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 praised the quick response of Palm Beach County first responders.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night, county officials said. The crash scene blocks the entrance to the park and is being treated as a crime scene for federal investigators. No official has alleged that a crime occurred. Residents were being sent to two county shelters, with the Red Cross standing by and Palm Tran buses ready to carry residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive. The road remains open only to emergency vehicles. Drivers were directed to use alternative routes for east-west and north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could remain closed for an extended period because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

The FAA registry lists the jet, registration N722BD, as owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. The aircraft is available for charter flights according to online listings. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry a cockpit voice recorder only when flown for hire. It is not known whether the jet carried one on Sunday's flight.

Scattered storms were present in the area when the jet crashed. The aircraft passed through a stronger storm cell minutes before the descent. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Heavy rain fell across the region, and a flood watch was in effect through Monday afternoon.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst, stated that the descent was not controlled. She suggested that the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. The NTSB issued a safety alert on in-flight icing in January 2024, noting that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.

This crash is the deadliest involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. The previous worst incident occurred in 2008 when four people died in a takeoff crash in Columbia, South Carolina. It is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, that killed 12 people in June. Bombardier stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, confirmed the jet was a private aircraft. He said the airport could not identify who was on the flight. Officials have not released the names of the nine people killed or specified how many were passengers versus crew.