"We're out of time": Learjet 60 nose-dives into Palm Beach County neighborhood, killing all 9 on board
A Learjet 60 business jet flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas nose-dived into a neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, around 12:50 p.m. local time on Sunday, 1 November, and exploded in a huge fireball. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said all nine people on board were killed. Air traffic control audio published online captures the crew's last calls: a mayday, a report of a rapid descent and the words "we're out of time".
Updated 1 Nov 2026, 23:45 (Bucharest time): new footage from the scene, compiled from social media by @TheJadeWarwick, shows a burning crater that split the road on Military Trail, sheriff's deputies arriving, the jet plunging and exploding, and fires and thick black smoke spreading through the mobile home park, with debris scattered and people running between the trailers. Small fires in the park were put out by firefighters, BocaNewsNow reported; local hospitals had been put on alert for a mass-casualty incident, but no victims were brought in. Officials still say all nine people on board were killed and have not confirmed any deaths or injuries on the ground. The NTSB leads the investigation; the cause is not yet known.
Aftermath at the crash site (sensitive footage):
The jet, registration N722BD, had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It came down near Cresthaven, close to Greenacres and the village of Palm Springs, at the entrance to a mobile home park on South Military Trail. The impact left fires, scattered debris and a large crater in the pavement, and AP reported that the fireball appeared to just miss nearby homes.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, cited by Air Data News, show the Learjet cruising at about 35,250 feet (10,744 metres) at 17:48 UTC before it suddenly began falling at close to 20,000 feet (about 6,100 metres) per minute. A minute later it was at 8,750 feet (2,667 metres). A dashcam clip shared on social media, dated 1 November on screen, reportedly shows the jet plunging almost vertically towards the road and exploding on impact. The Palm Beach Post said it had not been able to confirm that video.
Dashcam footage that reportedly shows the crash:
In the air traffic control recording published online and quoted by BNO News, a voice from the aircraft declares "mayday, mayday" and reports a descent of 10,000 feet per minute, warning that the plane is going to hit the ground. "I'm here with you, talk to me," the controller replies. The crew then says "we are descending 22,000 feet and we are banking 60 degrees", followed by screams and a final "we're going to die... we're out of time". The transmission then stops. The recording has not been released or commented on by the authorities.
Listener discretion advised, ATC audio from the accident.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash "a horrific tragedy" and said the FAA was sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board, which leads the investigation. The cause is not yet known. As of Sunday afternoon, officials had not confirmed any deaths or injuries among people on the ground, and the victims have not been named. According to FAA records, the aircraft, built as serial number 271, is registered to LR60271 LLC, a company based in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office closed Military Trail in both directions between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue described the response as an extended incident. Greenacres Fire Rescue sent four units to help. The weather in the area was overcast at the time, with rain, lightning and easterly winds gusting to about 25 mph, the Palm Beach Post reported, citing the National Weather Service. The crash site is less than four miles from Palm Beach's main international airport.