Learjet Crash in Palm Beach County Kills Nine
A business jet from Texas hit a residential road near Cresthaven at midday on Sunday, killing all occupants.
By Olivia Miller ·
Residents in the Cresthaven neighborhood of Palm Beach County, Florida, were left without air service to the Bahamas after a Learjet 60 crashed into a local roadway on Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred near Military Trail, specifically between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, disrupting traffic and prompting officials to direct drivers to find alternate routes.
The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, with North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas as its intended destination. Federal Aviation Administration data places the crash time at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern Time. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine individuals on board the medium-size business jet perished in the accident.
In a social media post on Sunday, Duffy stated that the FAA is deploying a team to the scene to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation. "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," Duffy wrote. The NTSB is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash, with the FAA providing operational support.
Witnesses and reports indicate the jet narrowly missed several houses before impacting the road near the residential area. The Associated Press noted that the aircraft appeared to strike the roadway directly, though it remained unclear on Sunday whether any adjacent homes sustained structural damage. The LearJet 60, manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, has a maximum capacity of two crew members and eight passengers, which aligns with the total number of victims.
The crash site is located in a populated zone where the proximity of the aircraft to dwellings raised immediate concerns for neighbors. Local authorities urged residents to stay away from the immediate area while emergency teams worked the scene. The jet is 58 feet long and capable of a range exceeding 2,400 nautical miles, according to industry specifications.
The FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation are monitoring the situation and plan to release further updates as information becomes available. The NTSB's preliminary investigation will focus on the flight path from Texas and the final moments of the aircraft's descent into the neighborhood.
