Nine people dead after Learjet plane crashes in Florida

Updated November 1, 2026 - 11.20pm. First published at 8.48pm

A $2.8 million Learjet has crashed into a residential street in Florida, killing at least nine people.

Dashcam footage shows the plane, a Learjet 60, slamming into a road and exploding into flames in Palm Beach County, Florida about 12.50pm on Sunday afternoon (Monday morning AEDT).

The plane crashed into a residential neighbourhood. Today

Nine people were on board the Bahamas-bound plane, and the US Secretary of Transport, Sean Duffy, confirmed that all on board the plane were killed.

“Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost,” he said in a statement on X.

The crash left a flaming crater in the ground. Today

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There has been no official confirmation of any further injuries or fatalities on the ground, but officials said about 600 residents need shelter due to the crash.

The residents are being sent to two shelters in the county while the site is being investigated

The crash has left a large crater in the ground, which is still in flames, with shocked residents watching on nearby.

The jet departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

The plane descended 27,000 feet over the course of one minute, just before flight tracking data cut off, the website ADS-B Exchange shows.

There were scattered storms in the area at the time of the crash, and the plane passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began descending.

The scene of the crash at West Palm Beach, Florida. AP Photo/Mark Elias

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It is unclear if the storm contributed to the crash.

Minutes before the crash, the pilot of the plane reported ice accumulating on the aircraft, an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius, and moderate turbulence, bouncing the plane by up to 700 feet, according to a recording of air traffic control radio calls captured by LiveATC.net.

“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” the pilot radioed the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre.

But moments later, after reporting precipitation started to fall and requesting to climb, they declared an emergency.

“We’re descending 8000 – mayday, mayday - we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said. “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute … We’re going to crash into the ground.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he was shocked by the scale of the crash.

“It looked like a missile going down,” he told media at the scene.