A co-pilot on a private jet that crashed in Florida was heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer in a fearful voice during the aircraft’s final moments.
The unidentified male co-pilot could be heard saying, “who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” in air traffic control recordings released after Sunday’s crash near West Palm Beach, Florida.
As he prayed, the female pilot reported that the Learjet 90 had rolled to a 60-degree bank, leaving the aircraft flying almost on its side.
The jet crashed moments later in a fireball beside a roadway, killing all nine people aboard.
Authorities have not yet released the victims’ identities and are expected to provide further details at a news conference later Monday.
Early speculation has focused on severe weather as a possible factor. The $2 million business jet had been traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it went down.
Aviation experts have suggested that the $2 million jet may have been affected by a dangerous phenomenon known as coffin corner
Federal authorities are investigating the circumstances that led to the crash
Several aviation experts have raised the possibility that the aircraft encountered “coffin corner” while attempting to climb over two storm systems, or cells.
The term describes a dangerous condition at high altitude in which an aircraft’s minimum safe speed and maximum safe speed become separated by only a narrow margin, making the jet exceptionally difficult to control.
If the aircraft slows down or accelerates beyond that limited range, it can stall and rapidly become uncontrollable.
Former pilot Martin Varsavsky, who now operates an artificial intelligence company, wrote on X that the area’s storm activity may have contributed to the fatal loss of control.
He wrote: “The radars clearly showed those cells; in light jets, the rule is to deviate with a good margin, not to fly through them — this could be an error by the woman who was piloting.
“What storms do by changing the outside temperature is that airplanes can no longer stay aloft at the same speed. It’s called the coffin corner. Or they become very difficult to keep under control.”
The crash carved a large crater into the roadway and damaged nearby infrastructure
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The cause of the crash, which occurred about eight miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, remains under investigation. Federal Aviation Administration Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the agency was sending a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board’s probe.
Air traffic controllers in Miami had authorized the pilots to “deviate left and right” around “moderate precipitation… to the southeast,” which they described as “pretty nasty,” as the twin-engine business jet neared the area.
The controllers later reported “moderate turbulence.” Soon afterward, the pilot’s voice became increasingly alarmed as she realized the aircraft was in serious trouble.
She said: “Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000ft per minute.”
Seconds later, she shouted: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.”
Her voice grew more distressed as she reported: “Descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.”
“I’m here with you, talk to me,” the air traffic controller replied, trying to steady the situation.
The pilot responded: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.”
“We’re out of time,” she screamed in her final transmission.
Officials say the road where the aircraft crashed may remain closed for another month
Our News Outlet has decided not to publish the final seconds of the recording because they are extremely distressing.
Weather conditions around West Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon were poor, with overcast skies, rain and lightning. Easterly winds were measured at 15 mph, with gusts approaching 25 mph, while the National Weather Service in Miami reported visibility of seven miles.
Flight data showed that the aircraft had departed Austin, Texas, for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas before its route suddenly ended near West Palm Beach.
The crash scattered debris over a wide area and created a large crater in the road. Authorities said no one on the ground was injured or killed.
