All nine people on board a business jet that crashed in a Florida neighborhood on Sunday have died, said Sean Duffy, the US Transportation Secretary. The plane erupted in a huge fireball that appeared to narrowly miss homes before crashing near a busy road.
Duffy posted on X Sunday that the Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m. and called it a “horrible tragedy.” The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the cause, he said.
The plane took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities did not immediately say what caused the plane to go down or who was on board.
Jim Reynolds, an airport spokesman, said it was a private plane. He could not immediately provide details about who was on board the flight.
“It’s definitely a tragedy,” he said.
He said the tail number of the flight was N722BD.
Video shot by people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the plane plunged from the sky, before hitting near the roadway and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement bordering the crater as people crowded around, expressing shock: They landed just yards from homes and just inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke filled the accident site.
It is not known whether the accident caused any damage to homes.
The crash happened near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closed roads in both directions and urged motorists to avoid the area. Firefighters and other rescue workers rushed to the scene.
A woman working nearby said power to the area had been out for about two hours after the accident.
The circumstances of the accident were still under investigation.
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