Private Jet’s Pilot Reported Turbulence Before Florida Crash
The pilot of a private jet told air traffic controllers the plane was experiencing moderate turbulence and going through some precipitation just before it plummeted at 20,000 feet per minute and crashed into a residential area in Florida, killing all nine people aboard.
The Learjet 60 flew for approximately two hours after leaving Austin for the Bahamas and began its rapid descent around 12:48 local time Sunday, according to data from Flightradar24. The pilot asked controllers for a “better ride,” and as the plane started climbing, she suddenly shouted, “Mayday! Mayday!” She then said the craft was descending at 8,000 feet per minute and accelerating.
“We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute!,” the unidentified pilot yelled, according to an audio recording posted online by Liveatc.net. “We’re going to crash into the ground!”
The pilot then said they’re “out of time,” the last transmission before the aircraft smashed into the ground. The plane’s vertical rate eventually exceeded 32,000 feet per minute, according to Flightradar24.
The plane crashed near Cresthaven, Florida, at 12:50 p.m., US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X. Dashboard camera footage showed an almost vertical plunge before the impact and explosion alongside a highway.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to the site to support an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, Duffy said. The crash site is just outside Greenacres, Florida, Phillip Konz, the city’s fire chief, said by email.
The 22-year-old jet is one of approximately 300 Learjet 60 aircraft still in operation. The plane’s production was halted in 2013, and the Learjet brand name was discontinued in 2021 by parent company Bombardier Inc.
NTSB officials plan to hold a media briefing Monday, the safety board said.
“Obviously this was a cataclysmic plane crash,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters in video posted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”
About 600 residents are being assisted with temporary shelter and other essential needs, according to the sheriff’s office.
The aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the FAA.