A business plane carrying nine people crashed Sunday afternoon near a home in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing everyone on board, officials said.
No one was injured at the scene, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at a press conference. About 600 people were evacuated from the crash site near a Cresthaven mobile home park, local officials said.
The Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County just before 1 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency said the plane left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas.
Details about what caused the crash have not yet been released.
“It was like a missile went down and there was a massive explosion and debris was scattered everywhere,” DeSantis said. “And these people were on the boat, and it was a really tragic way to die.”
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on X that all nine people on board had died.
“Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we have lost,” Duffy wrote.
The air traffic control audio recorded the pilot’s last communication with the air traffic control tower before the plane crashed. According to audio on LiveATC.net, the pilot can be heard saying they were descending at 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot then declared an emergency and shouted, “We are descending at overspeed at 20,000 feet per minute.”
The pilot was later heard telling the tower: “We’re going to crash… We’ve run out of time.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it was assembling a team to look into the crash, with investigators expected to arrive late Sunday and Monday morning.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport spokesman Jim Reynolds told The Associated Press that the plane was a private jet. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the plane.
“This is an absolute tragedy,” he said.
Footage from a nearby car dashboard camera captured the terrifying moment the plane plummeted from the sky.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said all northbound and southbound lanes of Military Trail near Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North are closed until further notice.