Nine killed as private Learjet crashes in Florida residential area
The aircraft was travelling from Texas to the Bahamas when it plunged into a neighbourhood in Palm Beach County on Sunday.
A private Learjet 60 crashed into a residential neighbourhood near Greenacres in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, November 1, killing all nine people on board, according to the Times of India.
The nine victims included two pilots and seven passengers. The passengers were identified by their families as Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp, their children Emma and Charlie, Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina. The co-pilot was identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras.
The aircraft was en route from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it fell towards the ground and exploded at around 12.50 pm local time. One person on the ground sustained a leg injury during the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the crew had experienced icing and moderate turbulence while flying at about 35,000 feet. Although the crew asked to climb to 37,000 feet to avoid precipitation, the plane began a rapid descent shortly after, leading the pilots to declare an emergency.
Flight-tracking data showed the descent rate reached over 32,000 feet per minute at one point. NTSB investigators are currently looking into weather conditions and whether parts of the plane detached before impact. They are also working to determine if the cockpit voice recorder was on board.
The crash created a large crater near a mobile home community, leading to the evacuation of approximately 600 residents. Authorities have asked locals not to move any debris found at the scene.