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A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential area near Greenacres in Palm Beach County on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft, registration N722BD, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas earlier that day bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. It went down around 12:50 p.m. local time near the intersection of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, creating a large crater and fireball. Authorities reported no confirmed fatalities on the ground, though the impact closed roads and displaced residents from a nearby mobile-home community.
The 2004-built jet was a 22-year-old midsize business aircraft. Flight-tracking data showed it had climbed to cruise altitude before descending to approximately 35,000 feet near Naples and continuing east. Minutes before the crash, the crew reported light clear ice that was “manageable,” moderate turbulence that jolted the airplane by hundreds of feet, and an outside air temperature of −47 °C. They advised air traffic controllers they were flying in precipitation and requested a climb to 37,000 feet for a better ride. Shortly after receiving clearance, the pilots declared a mayday, stating the aircraft was in an overspeed condition and descending at rates of 10,000 to 20,000 feet per minute. Tracking data later showed vertical speeds exceeding 30,000 feet per minute during the final steep right-hand descent; the last altitude received was roughly 8,750 feet.
South Florida was under the influence of a stalled frontal boundary that produced widespread thunderstorms with high cloud tops. Scattered storms, including stronger cells, were active across the region, and a convective SIGMET warned of hazards to aircraft. The jet appears to have passed near or through a more intense cell shortly before the rapid descent began. Surface observations nearby recorded rain, lightning, reduced visibility, and gusty winds. The Learjet 60 is equipped with bleed-air anti-ice systems for the wings, nacelles, windshield, and stabilizer and is certified for flight into known icing within defined limits, but severe convective weather can still produce turbulence, ice-crystal encounters, or residual airframe icing that challenges handling.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the impact as resembling “a missile going down.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the nine fatalities and called the event a horrific tragedy. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go-team to lead the investigation, with FAA support. Investigators will examine radar, weather data, air-traffic recordings, wreckage, and maintenance history. A media briefing was scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach. No official cause has been determined.
Audio of the final radio exchanges with Miami Center, in which the crew reports the icing and turbulence before the mayday call, was posted online and has circulated widely. The recording is available in the post here: https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/2117010226499199118.
The crash is the second-deadliest aviation accident in the United States this year. Local emergency crews secured the scene, and residents reported hearing a boom and seeing smoke. As the NTSB continues its work, the focus remains on the high-altitude weather encounter and the rapid loss of control that followed.
