A crash involving a private jet in South Florida has killed all nine people on board after the aircraft plunged into a residential area near a busy road in Palm Beach County.
The Learjet 60 went down on Sunday afternoon near Lake Worth Beach after departing Austin, Texas, for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
Authorities said no deaths or injuries had initially been reported on the ground.
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Jet plunges rapidly before impact
Flight-tracking information showed the aircraft entered an extremely steep descent shortly before hitting the ground.
The jet crashed beside a roadway and burst into flames, leaving a large crater close to homes and a mobile-home community.
Video captured near the scene showed a large fireball following the impact.
Emergency crews quickly secured the area as firefighters worked around the wreckage.
Crash followed reports of turbulence and icing
Air traffic control communications indicate the crew had encountered difficult weather conditions before the accident.
The pilots reported icing and moderate turbulence and sought smoother conditions at a different altitude.
A mayday call was later issued as the aircraft began losing altitude at an extreme rate.
Flight data showed the descent briefly exceeded 30,000 feet per minute before impact.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms were affecting parts of South Florida at the time.
Investigators have not yet determined whether weather conditions directly caused the accident.
Hundreds evacuated from nearby homes
Authorities evacuated about 600 residents from a nearby mobile-home community following the crash.
Residents were moved to temporary shelters while emergency teams assessed the scene and checked for hazards.
The impact occurred close to homes and passing vehicles, but officials said the jet appeared to narrowly avoid directly striking nearby houses.
Federal investigation begins
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the accident, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Investigators are expected to examine the aircraft’s flight data, cockpit recordings, weather conditions, mechanical systems and decisions made by the crew before impact.
Bombardier, which manufactured the Learjet, said it would cooperate with investigators.
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown.
Officials are expected to release more information as investigators recover evidence from the wreckage and analyze the aircraft’s final moments.
