Plane crashes in Greenacres, killing all nine on board

A small jet crashed into a roadway in Greenacres on Sunday around 12:50 p.m., killing all nine people on board. The accident left a large, burning hole in the pavement on Military Trail, located between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.

The FAA confirmed there were no survivors. The identities of the nine individuals have not yet been released. The crash site is about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

The aircraft was a LearJet 60, a midsize business jet built by Bombardier Aerospace. The plane measures 58 feet in length and holds a maximum of two crew members and eight passengers. Its maximum range is slightly over 2,400 nautical miles. According to GlobalAir.com, the jet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

Witnesses described the moment of impact as violent. Abelino Temaj, who lived in a nearby mobile home community, said the sound resembled a missile. He felt the ground shake immediately after the noise. Another resident told Telemundo 51 that the scene looked like a meteorite had struck the earth. He noted water spraying from the crater and a large fire burning nearby.

Anthony Blackmon, who lived about 500 feet from the crash site, said debris hit his house. He reported that everything was on fire, including the road. Blackmon said he had always seen plane crashes on the news but never expected one to happen so close to his home.

Roger Forcelle, another nearby resident, said he felt the aircraft pass over his house just before it fell. He described the vibration as shaking the entire structure. He estimated the plane crashed less than half a mile from where he lives. Forcelle said he went out to run errands after the event and could not return home due to the smoke.

Air traffic control recordings captured the final minutes of the flight. The pilots reported clear ice accumulation and moderate turbulence at 35,000 feet. The pilot told controllers the ice was light and manageable. The plane was shaking, with turbulence dropping it 700 feet at times. Rain was falling in the region on Sunday.

The situation worsened quickly. The pilot requested permission to climb another 2,000 feet before declaring an emergency. The jet began losing altitude rapidly. The pilot radioed that the plane was descending at 8,000 feet per minute, then said it was dropping at 20,000 feet per minute in an overspeed condition. The final transmission was, “We are going to crash into the ground.”

The aircraft banked sharply to the right before hitting the road and exploding. Councillor Joel Flores, District 3, said authorities were working to provide safe lodging for the approximately 600 people displaced from the nearby mobile home park. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Federal investigators are expected to provide an update on Monday.