Yesterday, a private Learjet 60 crashed in a district of Florida. All nine people on board were killed.
This was reported by the BBC, citing the US Department of Transportation.
The crash occurred near Cresthaven – about 14 km from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s estate in an affluent part of Palm Beach County. The accident happened at around 19:50 Kyiv time.
Footage taken after the crash shows a crater in the middle of a residential street, pockets of fire, and chunks of concrete and aircraft debris scattered around.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft took off from Austin, Texas, and was heading to the Bahamas.
Reports in the US media and flight analysis indicate that the aircraft was rapidly losing altitude before the crash.
According to CBS News, an air traffic control recording made moments before the crash can be heard with the pilot saying the aircraft is descending at a rate of 3 km per minute.
Unverified footage has appeared on social media – reportedly a dashcam recording – capturing the moment of the crash. The video shows the aircraft hitting the ground almost vertically before exploding into a huge fireball.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a “mass casualty incident”.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the crash occurred on Military Trail, a six-lane arterial road lined with businesses and places to eat.
Six hundred local residents are being evacuated from a nearby mobile home park.
The crash caused significant damage to local infrastructure, including water supply networks. The road will remain closed for at least 30 days.
- On Sunday morning, Trump was at Mar-a-Lago and, about an hour before the crash, departed from a nearby airport aboard Air Force One.