Austin Jet Crashes in Greenacres, 600 Neighbors Evacuated

Nine people died when a Learjet 60 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the death of everyone on board in a post on social media. He described the incident as a horrific tragedy and stated that the Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

The FAA reported that the jet struck the ground at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was scheduled to land at North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The agency said the information regarding the nine individuals on board is preliminary.

Air traffic control recordings indicate the pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation before the crash. The pilot reported light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius and turbulence that was bouncing the jet by as much as 700 feet.

Minutes later, the situation deteriorated sharply. The pilot said the jet was descending 8,000, declared a mayday and stated the aircraft was descending at 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot then said the jet was in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot radioed that they were going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said, We're out of time.

Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed the jet dropped 27,000 feet in about one minute before the signal cut off. The FAA stated the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in that final minute. The aircraft banked sharply to the right before hitting the ground at a steep angle. The descent rate reached as high as 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits, the AP reported.

Scattered storms were present in the area. The jet passed through a stronger storm cell shortly before beginning its descent. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the region, warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, and the National Weather Service maintained a flood watch through Monday afternoon. It is not yet determined if the weather played a role in the crash.

The crash site is near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres, a city of approximately 45,000 residents. The site is about four miles south of the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. Palm Beach County Sheriff's officials placed the crash in this area. President Trump was in West Palm Beach earlier Sunday and left the airport on Air Force One more than an hour before the crash.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the crash as cataclysmic. He told reporters the jet looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road. DeSantis said there were no reports of ground casualties at the time of his news conference. He praised local first responders for their quick response. The debris field stretched a long distance.

Video from nearby cars captured the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater, which was located feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site. Video from WPBF showed the road buckled where the jet impacted. One witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor hit the ground.

Anthony Blackmon, a nearby resident, said he was about 500 feet from the crash. He stated that debris hit his house and everything was on fire. Roger Forcelle said he felt the aircraft pass over his home and that it shook the whole house. Andrew Mannino said that he heard and felt the boom and that the power immediately went out. A woman working nearby said the electricity had been out for about two hours.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials said the crash scene blocks the entrance to the mobile home park and is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said residents were being sent to two county shelters. He stated, So we have about 600 people that we have to make sure that they have shelter tonight. The Red Cross was standing by, and county officials said Palm Tran buses were ready to carry residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice. The road is open only to emergency vehicles. The county told drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time because of the crater. Officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

The NTSB said Sunday it was launching a go-team for the investigation. Investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. The agency planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause has been determined. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the jet was a private aircraft and could not say who was on the flight. He called the event definitely a tragedy.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet by its registration, N722BD. The FAA registry lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not said who operated Sunday's flight. The crash is the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show it is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, after a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said dashcam video will be important to investigators. She stated, That is not a controlled descent. So at that point, it's clear whatever happened, they had lost control of the plane. She said the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. It is not known whether the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry one only when they are flown for hire. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights. Learjet, the brand that Bill Lear's Lear 23 made famous with wealthy travelers in the 1960s, was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.