Jet crash in Florida kills all nine on board, forces hundreds to evacuate

A private jet descended into a residential area in southern Florida on Sunday, killing everyone on board and forcing a large-scale evacuation of nearby homes. The crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. ET in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, which is located about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

The aircraft was a LearJet 60, a mid-sized business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace. According to data from GlobalAir.com, the plane measures 58 feet in length and has a maximum capacity of two crew members and eight passengers. At the time of the crash, the jet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that all nine people on board died. The agency stated there were no survivors. The names of the victims had not been released as of Monday. The impact created a large crater in the roadway, and officials closed Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.

The collision occurred near a mobile home park, prompting the evacuation of several hundred residents. Joel Flores, commissioner for District 3, said authorities were working to ensure that approximately 600 affected individuals had a safe place to stay for the night. Video from the scene showed a large, burning hole in the ground where the plane hit.

Residents described hearing a loud noise and feeling the ground shake before the impact. Abelino Temaj, a local resident, compared the sound to a missile. "I heard the sound; it was like a missile, literally like a missile," Temaj said. "And then.. I felt the ground shake." Another witness told Telemundo 51 that it looked like a meteorite had hit the earth, with water coming from the crater and a large fire burning.

Anthony Blackmon, who lives about 500 feet from the crash site, said debris hit his house. "There was debris everywhere. The debris hit my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire," Blackmon said. He noted that while he had seen such events in the news, he never expected one to happen so close to his home.

Roger Forcelle, another neighbor, said the aircraft passed over his house shortly before the crash. "It shook the whole house. It passed right over us and crashed probably less than half a mile from where I live," Forcelle said. He added that everyone in the neighborhood came outside because of the vibration. He later saw a cloud of smoke rising from the area and could not return home immediately.

Flight data from air traffic control recordings obtained by LiveATC.net showed the pilot reporting issues before the descent. The plane was heading east at 35,000 feet when the pilot reported clear, light ice and moderate turbulence. The pilot asked permission to climb 2,000 feet and then declared an emergency. "We are descending 8,000.. mayday, mayday.. we are descending at 10,000 feet per minute," the pilot said over the radio. The pilot later reported the plane was in an overspeed condition, descending at 20,000 feet per minute, before stating, "We are going to crash into the ground." The plane tilted sharply to the right before hitting the ground and exploding.