Newly emerged dashcam videos have captured the terrifying final seconds of a private Learjet 60 that nose-dived from high altitude and erupted into a massive fireball on a roadway in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, November 1, 2026.
The twin-engine business jet, registered N722BD and owned by Delaware-based LR60271 LLC, was flying from Austin–Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas with nine people on board. All nine were killed.
No injuries or fatalities were reported among people on the ground, according to officials including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who described the crash as a “horrific tragedy.”
Rapid Descent and Final Moments
Flight tracking data shows the aircraft had been cruising near 35,000–41,000 feet when the situation deteriorated. Pilots reported light clear ice (described as manageable), moderate turbulence that jolted the plane by hundreds of feet, precipitation, and an outside air temperature of about -47°C. They requested a climb to find smoother air.
Shortly afterward, the crew declared a mayday. Air traffic control recordings captured increasingly urgent reports: a descent of 8,000–10,000 feet per minute, then an “overspeed condition” with the aircraft descending at 20,000 feet per minute or more.
One of the final transmissions included the pilot saying words to the effect of “We’re going to crash into the ground” and “We’re out of time,” followed by distress. Controllers attempted to maintain contact but lost the aircraft.
ADS-B data indicates the jet lost roughly 26,000–27,000 feet in about a minute, with descent rates eventually exceeding 30,000 feet per minute and the aircraft entering a steep, near-vertical dive at high speed (approaching or exceeding structural limits).
It impacted near the intersection of Military Trail (SR 809) and 10th Avenue North around 12:50 p.m. local time, close to a mobile home community in the Greenacres/Cresthaven area.
Dashcam and other ground videos show the jet plummeting almost vertically under cloudy skies before striking the ground and exploding in a large fireball. The impact left a deep crater, scattered burning debris across a wide area, severed power lines and water mains, and disrupted traffic. Witnesses and officials compared the trajectory to a missile.
Several homes were affected or evacuated; roughly 600 residents of a nearby mobile home park were displaced, with shelters opened. Military Trail remained closed in the area for an extended period.
Investigation Underway
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, with FAA support. An NTSB go-team was dispatched, with investigators arriving Sunday and Monday and a media briefing planned for Monday in West Palm Beach.
Early focus areas include weather (thunderstorms were present in the region), the reported icing and turbulence, flight data and cockpit voice recorders if recoverable, maintenance history of the approximately 22-year-old aircraft (serial 60-271), and the exact sequence leading to loss of control. No cause has been determined.
Identities of the nine people aboard (passengers and crew) have not been publicly released. The aircraft had previously been associated with charter operations in some reports, but the precise nature of the flight (private or charter) remained unconfirmed in initial official statements.
The crash is one of the deadlier recent general aviation accidents involving a Learjet 60.
Local authorities, including Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office, managed the immediate response amid rainy conditions. DeSantis visited the scene and called the impact “cataclysmic.”
As of November 2, 2026, the investigation continues. Updates from the NTSB are expected in the coming days and weeks, including a preliminary report typically issued within about 30 days.
