Learjet crashes in Palm Beach

Residents in a Palm Beach neighborhood watched as a Learjet 60 dropped from the sky and exploded near a busy highway on Sunday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people aboard the executive aircraft were killed in the crash.

The impact created a large crater beside the road. Dense black smoke enveloped the scene as flames flickered around fragments of asphalt. Witnesses described the aircraft missing nearby homes by a short distance and passing close to vehicles on the street.

Family members identified one of the victims as Nathalia G. Filgueiras, a 20-year-old co-pilot. Her father confirmed her identity to reporters. Her sister stated that the family is of Brazilian origin. The sister noted that Nathalia learned to fly from her father, who is a pilot, and that aviation was her greatest passion.

Air traffic control recordings show the pilot reported clear ice and moderate turbulence while the jet shook at 700 feet. The pilot stated the conditions were manageable at that time. The aircraft was en route to the Bahamas when the incident occurred.

Conditions deteriorated rapidly after the pilot encountered precipitation and requested a climb. The pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude quickly. Radio transmissions captured the pilot calling out a descent rate of 8,000 feet per minute, followed by a mayday call citing a descent of 10,000 feet per minute.

The pilot later transmitted that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition, descending at 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot said the plane was going to crash into the ground. The jet tilted sharply to the right before striking the earth abruptly.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site and described the event as a catastrophic accident. He told reporters the aircraft looked like a missile descending. Transportation officials said the Federal Aviation Administration will support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the crash.

The accident happened at 12:50 p.m. in Palm Beach County. Duffy called the event a horrible tragedy in a post on X. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the inquiry into the cause of the crash.