Learjet 60 Crashes Into Florida Residential Area, Killing All 9 Aboard
A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential area near Greenacres, a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, November 1, striking a mobile home community and erupting in flames. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said later Sunday that all nine people on board were killed. As of 4 p.m. Eastern, officials had not confirmed any fatalities or injuries on the ground, and the victims had not been named.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that the Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven at around 12:50 p.m. local time on Sunday, with nine people on board. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The FAA said it and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate, with the NTSB in charge of the investigation and providing all updates.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the crash occurred near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, and that Military Trail was closed in both directions between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue described the response as a mass casualty incident and an extended operation, with fire and scattered debris at the scene; Greenacres Fire Rescue also sent units to assist.
Secretary Duffy called the crash "a horrific tragedy" in a social media post and said the FAA was sending a team to support the NTSB investigation. CNN reported, citing NTSB records, that the crash is the second deadliest in the United States this year, after a June skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, that killed 12 people.
Multiple outlets, citing FAA registration records, identified the aircraft as N722BD, registered to a limited liability company based in Delaware. Flight-tracking data showed the jet suddenly descending rapidly from about 35,250 feet shortly before the crash. The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 一架Learjet 60公务机（资料图，非涉事飞机）。Lars Henseleit摄，公共领域，经Wikimedia Commons。 / A Learjet 60 business jet (file photo, not the accident aircraft). Photo by Lars Henseleit, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
