Nine Killed as Business Jet Crashes on Florida Street Near Mar-a-Lago
A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential road near Cresthaven, Florida, killing all nine people on board, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who described the incident as a "horrific tragedy".
BBC World
A business jet crashed in a neighbourhood in Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said. The crash occurred near Cresthaven, roughly nine miles (14 km) from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Palm Beach County, at around 12:50 EST (17:50 GMT).
The aircraft, a Learjet 60, had departed from Austin, Texas, and was en route to the Bahamas, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Images taken after the crash show a crater in the middle of a residential road, with patches of fire and scattered pieces of concrete and debris from the aircraft.
US media reports and flight analysis indicate the jet was descending hundreds of feet per second before impact. In air traffic control audio recorded moments before the crash, the pilot can be heard saying the plane was descending 10,000 feet per minute, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News. The pilot then declared an emergency, stating the aircraft was in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute, before telling the tower: "We're gonna crash ... We're out of time."
Unverified footage posted on social media, which appears to be from a dash camera, shows an aircraft nosediving almost vertically into a suburban residential street before exploding into a large fireball. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the footage at a news conference, saying: "It's like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere."
It is not yet clear who was aboard the jet when it crashed. DeSantis said that, as of now, there were no reports of anyone on the ground who was killed or injured.
Duffy described the crash as a "horrific tragedy" and said the FAA was sending a team to the scene to assist an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," he added.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a "mass casualty incident" following the crash. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the aircraft went down on Military Trail, a six-lane road lined with businesses and eateries.
At a news conference, DeSantis and local officials said 600 local residents were being evacuated from a nearby trailer-park community. They added that the impact caused considerable damage to local infrastructure, including water lines, and that the road would remain closed for at least 30 days.
Thunderstorms had been reported in the area at the time of the crash, and heavy rain was falling as the news conference took place. Trump had been at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday morning and departed from a nearby airport on Air Force One about an hour before the crash occurred.