A Learjet crashed in a residential neighbourhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board.
The private jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Videos circulating on social media showed the jet crashing to the ground beside a road before erupting into flames.
“It was a big-time tragedy that happened,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference near the crash site in Lake Worth Beach. “When you see that video, it’s a jarring thing. It was like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere.”
The US National Transportation Safety Board said it had opened an investigation into the crash, which US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described as a “horrific tragedy”.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said the crash created a “massive crater” beside a road near the entrance to a mobile home park.
He added that about 600 residents were being evacuated from the area and moved to two shelters within the county.
The area was experiencing heavy rainfall and thunderstorms at the time of the crash, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.
An audio recording of communications from a Miami air traffic control centre, posted on LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control conversations, captured the aircraft’s final moments before the crash in unusual detail.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said its data showed that the aircraft’s vertical descent rate exceeded 32,000 feet per minute at one point.
