An aviation expert has outlined how a pilot may have lost control of a Learjet 60 before it nosedived into a Florida neighborhood, killing all nine people on board.
DeWitt Ingram, a Learjet type-rated captain and founder of Par-Avion Group Aviation Consulting, reviewed flight-tracking data and told CBS12 News the aircraft descended from roughly 35,000 feet to the ground in about one minute. The business jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County around 12:50 p.m. Local time on Sunday, Nov. 1.
“What we saw today is a jet coming out of high altitude very quickly,” Ingram said. “If the pilot flew into the tops of one of the thunderstorms, in that very rough air, he could have damaged the airplane to the point where he lost control.”
He added that such an uncontrolled descent could have caused the aircraft to accelerate, putting excessive stress on the airframe. Weather-related damage has not yet been established, and investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration remain ongoing.
Air traffic control recordings captured crew members noting “manageable” ice on the plane and “moderate turbulence,” with an outside air temperature of -47C, shortly before the sudden descent. The plane was heading east at 35,000 feet when pilots requested to climb 2,000 feet. Moments later, it entered a steep dive, and the pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed all nine people on the flight were killed, calling it a “horrific tragedy.” Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the plane was a private aircraft but could not immediately provide details about who was on board.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said in a statement: “A Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, around 12:50 p.m. Local time on Sunday, Nov. 1. Nine people were on board. The aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates.”
FlightRadar24 data shows the aircraft crossed the Gulf of Mexico before entering Florida near Naples, then continued northeast across the state and curved south over Palm Beach County before the fatal descent. The crash site was approximately eight miles from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Anthony Blackmon, a local resident who was 500 feet from the crash site when the plane went down, said: “Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire, even the road was on fire.”
Investigators are examining multiple possible factors including severe weather, heavy icing on the wings, and mechanical failure. The exact cause has not been determined.