The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Learjet plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida kills 9
Nine people died after a Bahamas-bound Learjet crashed and then erupted in a fireball in Palm Beach County, Florida, Sunday afternoon, officials said.
A Learjet that was bound for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, and erupted in a fireball, killing nine people on board, according to officials.
Authorities have not identified the victims or stated how many were passengers versus crew. The crash occurred near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, and generated a large debris field with no reports of ground fatalities.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board said they would investigate the incident, with NTSB investigators arriving at the site and a news conference planned for Monday.
Air-traffic control recordings indicate the pilots reported ice accumulation, freezing temperatures, and moderate turbulence before declaring an emergency and descending rapidly, with flight-tracking data showing a steep, near-vertical descent in the final moments.
The crash disrupted local infrastructure, with roadways near the site damaged by the impact and about 600 residents needing shelter as the crash site blocked access to a mobile home park; two shelters were set up as authorities investigated. No additional injuries on the ground were reported.