Learjet crash near Palm Beach kills all 9 people on board

Nine people aboard a private jet were killed when it crashed and exploded in a fireball near Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon. Business Insider reported that the aircraft was a Learjet 60 built in 2004 and registered as N722BD. Authorities had not immediately released the identities of those on board.

The plane had departed Austin and was headed to the Bahamas, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, according to Business Insider. Duffy said the aircraft crashed in “a neighborhood near Cresthaven, FL,” about 10 miles from Palm Beach. A screenshot from Flightradar24 showed the Learjet’s flight path.

Authorities had not said what caused the crash. Business Insider reported there were widespread thunderstorms in South Florida on Sunday afternoon, and aviation weather data in the area showed heavy rainfall, low visibility, and moderate turbulence. Those conditions are context, not a confirmed cause.

The crash occurred less than 10 miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Business Insider reported. The president had left West Palm Beach around noon on Air Force One to attend a rally in Iowa, according to White House pool reports cited in the article. Business Insider described the report as a developing story.