On a stormy Sunday afternoon, a Learjet bound from Austin, Texas, for the Bahamas fell out of the sky onto a mobile-home park near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard in Palm Beach County, taking the lives of all nine people aboard. The neighborhood, which had sheltered its ordinary Sunday in the gray hours before the storms, was suddenly emptied of about 600 residents who now wait in county shelters. Why the aircraft came down has not yet been established, and federal investigators have begun the slow work of reading the wreckage for an answer. For now the community holds its breath betwe
Learjet Crash Near Greenacres Kills Nine; DeSantis Calls Scene 'Cataclysmic'
All nine people aboard the Learjet were killed, and about 600 nearby residents were evacuated from their homes.
"It looked like a missile going down."
Mark
Nine people died, but the governor's first point was about the ground. Why does that matter so much?
Mimi
Because the plane came down in a mobile-home park. DeSantis said that as of Sunday afternoon, no one on the ground was reported killed or hurt. That's a striking thing to say about a crash that left a crater.
Mark
And about 600 people were still moved out.
Luke
Right, and that's the figure officials gave, about 600. It's an approximate count tied to one community next to the site.
Mimi
They're going to one of two county shelters, and Commissioner Flores said they couldn't stay Sunday night while the FAA investigates.
Mark
What do we know about why it fell?
Luke
Nothing confirmed. Storms were in the area, with gusts near 25 mph and some lightning, but the reporting only says the crash happened during that weather. It doesn't say weather caused it.
Mark
Who was aboard?
Luke
Unknown as of 7 p.m. Sunday. The FAA hadn't identified anyone.
Mimi
The road is another consequence. Flores described a massive crater on Military Trail and doubted southbound lanes would open within 30 days.
Luke
That's his judgment, not an official closure timeline.
Mark
So the next steps are the investigators and the emergency declaration?
Mimi
Yes. The county plans to send that declaration to the governor, and federal officials were expected as soon as Sunday night.
Der Puls
- A Learjet carrying nine people fell onto a mobile-home park during a storm, and none of those aboard survived.
- About 600 residents were pulled from their homes and sent to county shelters without knowing when they could return.
- Debris lies across a wide radius and a massive crater has opened along Military Trail, turning a busy road into a scene of wreckage.
- Federal investigators are racing to determine what brought the jet down, while county leaders request emergency help to manage the aftermath.
- Military Trail may remain closed to southbound traffic for at least 30 days, leaving the displaced and the neighborhood in suspended limbo.
On a stormy Sunday afternoon, a Learjet bound from Austin, Texas, for the Bahamas fell out of the sky onto a mobile-home park near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard in Palm Beach County, taking the lives of all nine people aboard. The neighborhood, which had sheltered its ordinary Sunday in the gray hours before the storms, was suddenly emptied of about 600 residents who now wait in county shelters. Why the aircraft came down has not yet been established, and federal investigators have begun the slow work of reading the wreckage for an answer. For now the community holds its breath between a loss that cannot be undone and the questions that will take far longer to settle.
A Learjet headed from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas came down at about 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, in a mobile-home park near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard in Greenacres. All nine people aboard were killed. The crash happened as afternoon storms swept across South Florida, with gusts near 25 mph and scattered lightning. As of the evening, the FAA had not released the identities of those on board, and the cause remained unknown.
Gov. Ron DeSantis came to the scene that afternoon and called it a cataclysmic crash, saying it looked like a missile going down. No deaths or injuries had been reported on the ground, though debris was scattered over a very large area. Federal aviation officials were expected that night to begin their investigation.
County Commissioner Joel Flores, whose district includes the Palm Springs area, said his first priority was moving about 600 people from the community beside the crash site. They could not spend the night there while investigators worked, so they were directed to one of two county shelters until they could return. Flores described a massive crater along Military Trail and doubted the southbound lanes would reopen within 30 days.
County Administrator Joe Abruzzo said the county would ask the governor for an emergency declaration to help with recovery. DeSantis, Flores and Abruzzo all praised the first responders who reached the scene quickly. What comes next is the FAA's inquiry, the identification of the nine victims, and the wait for displaced families and a closed roadway to return to normal.
A Learjet came down in a mobile-home park near Greenacres, Florida, at about 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, and all nine people aboard were killed. The park sits near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard in Palm Beach County. Afternoon storms had spread across much of South Florida that day, bringing wind gusts near 25 mph and scattered lightning.
The aircraft was bound for the Bahamas from Austin, Texas. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration had not identified anyone on board. Federal officials are investigating, and the cause has not been established.
Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke near the scene in the afternoon and called it a "cataclysmic plane crash," adding that it "looked like a missile going down." He said that as of Sunday afternoon there were no reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured. He also noted that debris from the crash was spread across a very large radius. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office broadcast the news conference on its Facebook page.
DeSantis said federal aviation officials were expected in Palm Beach County as early as Sunday night to begin their investigation into what brought the jet down.
The effects on the neighborhood were immediate. County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents the Palm Springs area, said his first concern was evacuating about 600 people who live in a community beside the crash site. They could not stay there Sunday night while the FAA works the scene. Those residents were to go to one of two county shelters and remain there until they could return home.
Flores also described a "massive crater" left in the ground along Military Trail. He said he could not imagine the road reopening to southbound traffic within the next 30 days.
County Administrator Joe Abruzzo, who appeared with DeSantis, said the county would send the governor an emergency declaration to help manage the aftermath. DeSantis, Flores and Abruzzo each praised the work of the first responders who reached the scene.
What to watch next: the FAA's investigation into the cause, the identification of the nine people aboard, and how long the displaced residents and the closed stretch of Military Trail remain affected.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
A cataclysmic plane crash. It looked like a missile going down.— Gov. Ron DeSantis
The crash left a massive crater along Military Trail, and he cannot imagine southbound traffic reopening within 30 days.— County Commissioner Joel Flores (paraphrased)
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