All 9 people on board plane killed after it crashes in Florida, federal officials say

A Learjet that Gov. Ron DeSantis said looked “like a missile going down” crashed Sunday near Greenacres killing all nine aboard and leaving a large swath of the area in fire and scattered debris.

The plane, according to federal authorities, had departed Austin, Texas and was headed to the Bahamas.

The plane crashed into a mobile home neighborhood around 12:50 p.m. in the area of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, causing debris across a large area, but, according to DeSantis, no reported injuries or deaths from people on the ground.

DeSantis was at the crash site Sunday evening and described it as a “cataclysmic plane crash.”

More: ‘We’re gonna crash! … ‘We’re out of time’ among last words from pilot

More: Thunderstorms were firing on Sunday near where a Lear jet went down

More: Learjet jet crash that killed nine was ‘cataclysmic,’ DeSantis says

The governor said federal aviation officials were expected in Palm Beach County as soon as Sunday night and would conduct their investigation into the cause.

All nine people aboard the plane died, said Sean Duffy, the U.S. secretary of transportation, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, just before 4 p.m. He called the crash a “horrific tragedy.”

The FAA said the Learjet 60 departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

“We’re out of time,” the pilot can be heard saying in air traffic control audio circulated online shortly before the Learjet crashed near Greenacres.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates.

The incident closed all lanes of Military Trail in the area of Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.

FL | PALM BEACH COUNTY
First VIDEO of unknown type plane crash in Greenacre. @EmergencyStream pic.twitter.com/M2fsW45I9h

— EmergencyStream (@EmergencyStream) November 1, 2026

Authorities said motorists should are avoid the area and seek alternate routes.

Postings on Facebook show a fairly wide swath of area spotted with fires, debris and what looks like a crater in the ground.

A video circulating online of a plane making a nosedive into the ground is said to be the Learjet, but The Palm Beach Post is not sharing that video as it has not been confirmed. The video is said to be from a driver’s dashcam video.

The cause of the crash is unknown. Some chatter on social media raised the suspicion that the plane could have been shot down because flight restrictions were in place as President Donald Trump was in town this weekend. Trump departed President Donald J. Trump International Airport for Iowa around noon.

More Aftermath of Palm Beach County plane crash. @EmergencyStream pic.twitter.com/kxN1AzltLa

— EmergencyStream (@EmergencyStream) November 1, 2026

The Palm Beach Post reported recently that military air defense systems have been positioned around the president’s Mar-a-Lago club and home and the surrounding area. Planes that fly into the restricted airspace are diverted, usually by military jets. Multiple planes have violated the airspace since Trump first took office, but a plane has never been shot down in Palm Beach County because of the airspace violations.

The upgraded security systems, a pair of Avenger Air Defense Systems, are positioned on a floating barge in the Lake Worth Lagoon on the west side of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. A separate bank of Avenger Air Defense Systems are positioned on the south side of Trump international airport, near the area where Air Force One parks during Trump’s visits to Palm Beach.

Aircraft Incident. Military Trail between Cresthaven and 10th Avenue N closed to all traffic. Avoid the area. This will be an extended incident. pic.twitter.com/lhl6yY1A0U

— PBC Fire Rescue (@PBCFR) November 1, 2026

Each Avenger comprises a modified Humvee equipped with a rotating turret that has two pods capable of launching short-range infrared-homing Stinger missiles, according to a U.S. Army website. The Avenger’s targets could include cruise missiles, drones, helicopters and low-flying and high-speed fixed-wing aircraft, according to the Army.

As of Sunday night, there was no indication the Learjet was shot down.

Weather conditions in the West Palm Beach area on Sunday afternoon were rough with thunderstorms widespread because a stalled frontal boundary parked over the area, pushing freezing cloud tops tens of thousands of feet high — a situation that can cause icing trouble with equipment but also from severe turbulence.

 The crash site is in an unincorporated area near Greenacres and Palm Springs.

The Village of Palm Springs said it has officials on the scene monitoring any effect the crash will have on water and sewer services. If residents experience disruptions, they should call the Utilities Department at (561) 584-8200.

Check back for updates on this Breaking News story.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Learjet nose dives near Greenacres, killing all 9 people aboard