A Florida family said their apartment began “shaking” when a business jet plunged to the ground “like a missile” on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard.
A mother and her son were preparing to leave their home in Greenacres at about 12:50 p.m. when the $2 million Learjet 60, which had been flying from Texas, crashed near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. The mother said the impact felt “like a super big explosion.”
“It sounded, like, very massive, huge,” she told Fox News, describing how her terrified son ran toward her moments after the blast.
At first, the boy said, he thought it was “like a ginormous lightning strike.”
His mother said the apartment then lost power, while the curtains over the windows “started shaking a bit.”
The electricity returned roughly seven minutes after the crash.
When they looked outside, the family saw “some smoke, black smoke,” the mother said. “And then we started hearing… the sirens sounding three minutes after.”
Other witnesses said they felt as though they had been “lifted from the ground” as the roadway buckled and a huge fireball erupted.
A $2 million Learjet 60 carrying nine people plunged to the ground on Sunday
Dashcam footage captured the plane crashing near the road and exploding into a huge fireball on Sunday. The FAA said nine people were aboard
The crash created a huge crater in the center of the road and damaged nearby infrastructure
The aircraft was carrying nine people when it fell from the sky in poor weather, crashing about eight miles from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate near West Palm Beach and erupting in flames.
Disturbing dashcam video showed the jet plunging steeply toward the ground before triggering a massive explosion.
“When you see that video, you know, it’s a jarring thing,” Governor Ron DeSantis said Sunday evening as he stood near the crash site in heavy rain. “It was like… a missile coming down and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere.”
The impact scattered debris over a wide area and tore a large crater into the roadway. Authorities said no one on the ground was injured or killed.
However, nearly 600 people living in a nearby mobile home community are being forced to leave because the entrance to the neighborhood is directly beside the wreckage.
“Unfortunately, that’s a crime scene. They’re investigating that, so the people can’t stay there,” Joel Flores, a former Greenacres mayor and current Palm Beach County commissioner, said at a news conference.
Flores and other elected officials said the crash also damaged nearby infrastructure, potentially disrupting water and other essential services.
County officials are preparing two shelters for residents who have been displaced, while the American Red Cross remains on standby.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the falling aircraft looked “like a missile”
Officials do not expect the crash-damaged road to reopen for at least another month
Police and emergency crews block off the street near the crash site
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Flores said the section of road where the jet crashed was unlikely to reopen “in the next 30 days.”
Nearby businesses could also remain closed for an extended period as crews repair the roadway and federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board examine the wreckage.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
Air traffic control audio, however, showed that the female pilot gave a controller crucial information just seconds before the aircraft plunged thousands of feet in less than a minute.
Controllers in Miami had authorized the pilots to “deviate left and right” because of “moderate precipitation… to the southeast.” They described the weather as “pretty nasty” as the twin-engine business jet approached the area.
The controllers were later heard reporting “moderate turbulence” before the pilot’s voice became increasingly alarmed as she realized the aircraft was in trouble.
Nearly 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community are being relocated after the crash
She is heard saying: “Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000 ft per minute.”
Seconds later, she screamed, “declaring emergency, declaring emergency we are in an overspeed condition,” before shouting: “descending 20,000 ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.”
“I’m here with you, talk to me,” the air traffic controller responded, attempting to calm her.
“We are descending 22,000 ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.” That meant the aircraft’s wings were tilted at a 60-degree angle, leaving the jet nearly on its side.
“We’re out of time,” she screamed.
This publication has chosen not to broadcast the final seconds of the recording because the audio is extremely distressing.
Asked later about the aircraft’s rapid descent, DeSantis suggested that a serious problem may have developed before the jet hit the ground.
“To see the way it descended, yeah, I think you can make the inference that something happened in the air that was a big problem,” he said.
Weather in the West Palm Beach area on Sunday afternoon was poor, with overcast skies, rain and lightning nearby. Easterly winds were recorded at 15 mph, with gusts approaching 25 mph. The National Weather Service in Miami reported visibility of seven miles.
Flight data showed that the aircraft had departed Austin, Texas, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas before its route ended abruptly near West Palm Beach.
President Trump had been at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach on Saturday night, where he hosted hundreds of guests at a jungle-themed Halloween party to celebrate the holiday.
The president appeared at the event dressed as himself.
“I’ve spent nine hours getting ready,” he joked. “I had ten minutes, so I came as Donald Trump tonight! Hello everybody.”
By the time the aircraft crashed on Sunday, Trump had traveled to Iowa for the final stop of his midterm campaign.
