A Learjet 60 flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard. The aircraft came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration; the cause has not been established.
Preliminary reports indicate the pilots radioed about icing, moderate turbulence and precipitation before declaring an emergency. Air traffic control recordings also included reports of a rapid descent. These details have not established what caused the crash, and investigators have not identified those aboard or confirmed how many were passengers and crew.
The impact left a significant debris field and blocked access to a nearby mobile-home park. A Palm Beach County official estimated that about 600 residents needed temporary shelter. No ground fatalities had been confirmed in initial reports; the number of nonfatal injuries was not established. Investigators were expected at the scene on Sunday and Monday, with an NTSB briefing planned for Monday.