The Learjet 60 was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed near Cresthaven in Palm Beach County.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL — All nine people aboard a business jet were killed Sunday after the aircraft plunged into a Palm Beach County neighborhood near a busy roadway, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The Learjet 60 crashed near Cresthaven at about 12:50 p.m. after departing Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas on a flight to the Bahamas, according to federal officials. The Federal Aviation Administration sent personnel to the scene to assist the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation into why the aircraft went down.
Authorities had not publicly identified the people aboard the jet by Sunday evening. Officials also had not announced a cause of the crash. Duffy said in a social media statement that all nine people on the aircraft died and that federal transportation agencies were monitoring the response and investigation.
Video recorded from vehicles near the scene showed the aircraft descending steeply before striking near a roadway and erupting in flames. The impact left a large crater and scattered debris in an area close to homes and passing traffic. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who visited the scene, described extensive debris from the crash. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries among people on the ground.
The crash occurred near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in Palm Beach County. Emergency crews and law enforcement officers responded to the area, and authorities closed nearby roads while firefighters worked at the crash site. The location is in a developed residential area, making the aircraft’s impact close to homes and road traffic a major concern for emergency responders.
The FAA said the aircraft was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. An Austin airport spokesperson described it as a private aircraft. Officials had not released information about the purpose of the flight or the identities of the passengers and crew.
Weather in South Florida was unsettled Sunday, with periods of heavy rain affecting Palm Beach County. The National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect for Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties as bands of showers and thunderstorms moved through the region. Officials had not established whether weather contributed to the crash, and investigators had not announced any finding linking the conditions to the aircraft’s descent.
The NTSB investigation is expected to examine the aircraft, wreckage, flight information, communications and other available evidence before determining a probable cause. The FAA is supporting that work. Early information released after an aviation accident is preliminary, and a final determination typically depends on a broader examination of evidence gathered during the investigation.
Officials continued securing the crash area Sunday as investigators prepared to examine the wreckage. The identities of those killed and the cause of the crash remained undisclosed, while federal investigators began work to determine what led the Learjet to fall from the sky shortly before reaching South Florida.
Author note: Last updated November 1, 2026.