All nine on board Learjet killed in Florida plane crash near Trump's resort home
A Learjet crashed in southern Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, officials confirmed.
The aircraft, a Learjet 60, departed from Austin, Texas and was headed for the Bahamas when it crashed near Cresthaven in Palm Beach County, less than 11 kilometres from Trump's resort home Mar-a-Lago. Several social media clips showed the plane nearly vertical at high speed before impact, creating a large fireball and leaving a flaming crater near a busy roadside.
"Today's plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida is a horrific tragedy," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement, confirming all nine people on board were killed. Trump had been at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday but departed from nearby President Donald J. Trump International Airport about an hour before the crash.
Emergency communications
Audio recordings from the cockpit revealed the crew reported "moderate turbulence" and were "managing the ice" before declaring an emergency. The plane was descending at 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute before the person in the cockpit said: "We're going to crash into the ground." Communications stopped shortly after.
It looked like a missile going down
Aftermath
The crash occurred near the entrance to a mobile home park, prompting the evacuation of about 600 residents to shelters. Governor DeSantis noted there were no reports of injuries on the ground. Storms had been reported in the area, and Trump was seen carrying an umbrella as he boarded Air Force One.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, which occurred as Trump departed the area on Air Force One at 11:55 am local time.
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