The Eyrie

GREENACRES, FL — A Learjet believed to be carrying nine people crashed Sunday afternoon in Palm Beach County after a rapid descent that ended in a fireball, federal aviation officials said.

The private jet, a 22-year-old twin-engine Learjet 60, had left Austin, Texas, and was headed to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it went down near Military Trail in the Greenacres area. Authorities said the impact left a crater close to a shopping center, and there was no immediate word on deaths or injuries.

FAA says the jet dropped hundreds of feet each second before impact

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in a little over a minute before slamming into the ground. That works out to roughly 350 feet per second, a steep descent that prompted investigators to begin piecing together the final moments of the flight.

Photos and videos posted online showed the aircraft hitting nose-first and erupting in flames. The visuals matched the FAA’s description of a catastrophic crash and underscored the force of the impact. Officials have not publicly said what caused the sudden drop.

Crash site in Greenacres left a crater near a busy retail area

The wreckage came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue, in the Greenacres community of Palm Beach County. The location is close to a shopping center, adding to the disruption in an area that normally sees steady traffic and business activity.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking at a Sunday briefing, called the scene a “cataclysmic plane crash” and said it looked like a missile falling from the sky. He also said the wreck left a big crater along the road, reflecting the severity of the collision and the damage on the ground.

Federal agencies open investigation into what brought the Learjet down

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said. Those agencies typically examine flight history, maintenance records, weather, communications and wreckage to determine what happened in the final minutes before impact.

At this stage, authorities have not released a cause or said whether any mechanical issue, flight-control problem or other factor may have been involved. The aircraft’s steep descent and the violent nature of the crash are likely to be central parts of the federal review.

The aircraft had been used as a private rental and belonged to a company

Records show the Learjet belonged to a private company and had been used as a rental in the past. That background may help investigators track the jet’s ownership, operation and recent history as they work through the case.

The plane was a Learjet 60, a twin-engine business jet built about 22 years ago. Investigators will likely compare its maintenance status with flight data and other records tied to the trip from Texas to the Bahamas.

Officials say injuries and fatalities remained unconfirmed as rescue work continued

Authorities did not immediately provide information on the condition of those aboard the aircraft. With nine people believed to have been on the jet, the unanswered questions about casualties remained one of the most urgent parts of the developing situation.

The crash drew immediate attention because of the fireball, the crater and the apparent speed of the descent. As investigators began their work, local and federal officials were still focused on confirming the number of people involved and determining exactly what happened in the air before the impact.