Plane Crashes in South Florida, Killing All Nine Aboard
A small jet crashed into a residential area just miles from Mar-a-Lago. All nine people on board died, and authorities are investigating.
Key points
- The aircraft was a Learjet 60 that had taken off from Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas.
- The crash happened Sunday around 12:50 p.m. in Cresthaven, Palm Beach County.
- All nine people on board died, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
- The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate.
Nine people died Sunday when a Learjet 60 crashed into a residential area of Cresthaven, in Palm Beach County, South Florida. The crash happened around 12:50 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The aircraft had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to the Bahamas, specifically North Eleuthera Airport. According to a statement from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, all nine people on board died.
The crash site is less than 7 miles from Mar-a-Lago, the President's vacation residence. President Donald Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday. About an hour before the crash, Trump had left from there aboard Air Force One, bound for Palm Beach International Airport, recently renamed in his honor. Storms had been reported in the area. A West Palm Beach fire department official confirmed that an aircraft went down in the area, causing a loud boom. Authorities said the crash occurred over Military Trail.
Unverified videos posted on social media show the plane nearly vertical as it hit the ground, followed by a large fireball near a busy road.
Duffy called the event a tragedy. The FAA and the NTSB will investigate the cause of the crash, with the NTSB leading the investigation and providing official updates.
Why it matters
A deadly crash with nine victims in Florida highlights the need for aviation safety, an issue also of concern to the Dominican community that travels between the U.S. and the Caribbean.