By Ghazali Ibrahim
Nine people have been killed after a private jet crashed into a residential area in Florida, United States, with newly released air traffic control recordings capturing the crew’s desperate final attempts to save the aircraft.
The Learjet 60 crashed near Greenacres in Palm Beach County on Sunday, November 1, while travelling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
All nine people aboard the aircraft died in the crash, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Recordings of the aircraft’s final communications with air traffic controllers have revealed how the situation deteriorated moments before the crash.
In the audio, published on aviation tracking website LiveATC.net, a crew member initially reported moderate turbulence and said the aircraft was experiencing icing conditions.
The crew also informed air traffic controllers that the aircraft was picking up precipitation and needed to climb to a higher altitude.
However, the situation quickly worsened as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.
“Mayday, mayday, we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the crew member was heard telling air traffic controllers.
Seconds later, the pilot declared an emergency, reporting that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition and descending at 20,000 feet per minute.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” the crew member said during another transmission.
The aircraft reportedly continued its rapid descent, with the crew later reporting that it was descending at 22,000 feet per minute while banking at an angle of 60 degrees.
Flight-tracking data subsequently indicated that its descent rate exceeded 32,000 feet per minute before impact.
The crash occurred near the entrance to a mobile home community, leaving a large crater and triggering a massive fire.
Authorities evacuated about 600 residents from the surrounding community and relocated them to shelters as emergency responders worked at the scene.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the incident as a catastrophic crash, saying the aircraft looked like a missile as it came down.
The crash happened less than seven miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump had departed the area aboard Air Force One approximately an hour before the aircraft crashed. He was photographed carrying an umbrella while boarding the presidential aircraft amid reports of storms in the area.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched investigations into the incident.
Although the cockpit recording revealed the crew’s reports of turbulence, icing and precipitation, authorities have not established the actual cause of the crash.
