Learjet Nosedives Near Mar-a-Lago, Killing 9 on Board
A private Learjet 60 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft went down near Cresthaven, less than seven miles from the Mar-a-Lago resort, prompting an immediate response from federal aviation authorities and local emergency crews.
Flight Nosedived From 8,000 Feet En Route to the Bahamas
The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was traveling to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it encountered fatal trouble. The plane executed a sudden, sharp right turn before nosediving toward the ground from an altitude of approximately 8,000 feet. Witnesses reported hearing an impact that sounded like a missile explosion shortly before the aircraft slammed into the ground at high speed near a busy roadside, leaving a flaming crater at the crash site. Local weather conditions included storms across the area during the timeframe of the flight.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that none of the nine occupants survived the disaster. US President Donald Trump had been present at Mar-a-Lago earlier in the day, departing from the nearby President Donald J Trump International Airport aboard Air Force One roughly an hour prior to the crash.
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched a joint inquiry to determine the cause of the fatal incident.
