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By Steven Frank
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A private jet crashed into a mobile home community in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, igniting a massive fireball near homes and a major roadway and killing all nine people on board, authorities said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities in a post on X, calling the incident a "horrific tragedy."
The identities of the victims had not been publicly released as of Sunday afternoon.
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The plane crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven at around 12:50 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Newsweek via email.
The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. In its statement, the FAA said that the information was preliminary and subject to change.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone on the ground was injured. No fatalities on the ground had been confirmed as of 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the Palm Beach Post.
What Happened in the Florida Plane Crash?
The aircraft came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Footage of the crash on social media showed the aircraft plunging steeply toward the ground before a large fireball erupted near the roadway and nearby homes.
The impact left a large crater in the pavement, with flames rising near a utility pole and thick black smoke billowing from the scene. Burning chunks of pavement could also be seen as people gathered nearby.
Major destruction, including fires and scattered debris, was visible around the mobile home neighborhood, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Military Trail was closed in both directions in the area, with motorists advised to avoid the scene and use alternate routes, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
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Jet Plunged Before Florida Crash
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude shortly before the crash.
The plane descended approximately 27,000 feet in one minute before its tracking data ended, CNN reported, citing ADS-B Exchange data.
The crash site is about four miles south of the West Palm Beach airport. President Donald Trump had been in West Palm Beach earlier Sunday but departed aboard Air Force One a little more than an hour before the crash to attend midterm rallies in Iowa and Kansas.
The cause of the rapid descent was not immediately known.
Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said that the tail number for the flight was N722BD.
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FAA and NTSB Investigating
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash, with the latter taking the lead, the FAA told Newsweek.
An FAA team was being sent to the crash site to support the NTSB's investigation, Duffy said Sunday, adding that the agency as well as the Department of Transportation were closely monitoring the crash and would provide further updates.
Investigators will verify the aircraft’s registration number, while a preliminary FAA accident or incident report is usually posted on the next business day, according to the agency.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Anthony Murray and Steven Frank.
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