The pilot of a doomed Learjet warned air traffic controllers about ice buildup just minutes before issuing a final Mayday call as the aircraft plummeted toward a Florida neighborhood.
The female aviator, who has not yet been publicly identified, radioed Miami controllers that ice was accumulating on the jet with an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius, according to the recorded communications. The $2 million Learjet 60 had departed Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas when it plunged roughly 27,000 feet in approximately one minute.
The aircraft crashed Sunday in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, less than eight miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. All nine people aboard were killed. Officials have not released the identities of the deceased.
Outgoing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the crash as “cataclysmic.”
Dramatic footage shared online reveals the aftermath: a gaping crater in the street with debris scattered across the road and fires raging from the impact site, sending thick smoke into the air. Witnesses described the plane hitting the ground “like a missile” near a mobile home community.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the disaster. The agency has previously highlighted the dangers of flying in icy conditions. In 2024, the NTSB issued a safety alert warning that ice could “cause flight instruments to cease operating,” which can prevent airplanes from “maintaining level flight.”
The final communications from the cockpit have drawn particular attention as investigators work to determine what caused the sudden descent. The pilot’s warning about ice accumulation came shortly before the harrowing Mayday call that marked the last known transmission from the aircraft.
The Learjet 60, manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, is a mid-size business jet typically configured for seven to nine passengers. The aircraft in Sunday’s crash was valued at approximately $2 million.
The crash site in Greenacres, a community in central Palm Beach County, drew emergency responders to the residential area where the jet created a massive impact crater. Video footage shows the burning crater and extensive damage to the street where the plane went down.
The NTSB investigation will examine whether ice accumulation played a decisive role in the crash, as the pilot’s final communications suggested. The agency’s 2024 safety alert specifically cautioned pilots about the risks of ice affecting flight instruments and the ability to maintain controlled flight.
The proximity of the crash to Mar-a-Lago, the private club and residence of President Trump, has drawn additional attention to the incident, though there is no indication the location was a factor in the crash.
The NTSB continues its investigation into the deadliest aviation accident in the region in recent years.