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'Mayday mayday': Videos show moment Florida jet crashed near busy road

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Learjet 60 plummeted into a fiery explosion along a Greenacres roadway shortly after the flight crew reported extreme weather at 35,000 feet. Flight tracking telemetry captured the plane descending at catastrophic rates of up to 30,000 feet per minute following a request to climb above precipitation. Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that despite the massive roadside blast, nobody on the ground was reported injured or killed. Federal regulators are now coordinating on-site to inspect the wreckage and determine the precise factors behind the dive.

Key points

  • The aircraft entered a fatal dive exceeding 20,000 feet per minute after reporting ice an…: The aircraft entered a fatal dive exceeding 20,000 feet per minute after reporting ice and turbulence.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration is actively assisting the National Transportation Saf…: The Federal Aviation Administration is actively assisting the National Transportation Safety Board with the investigation.
  • Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims or the official cause of…: Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims or the official cause of the crash.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Videos recorded by motorists captured the moment a business jet carrying nine people plunged from the sky and exploded into a fireball near a busy roadway in Florida on Sunday. All nine people aboard the aircraft were killed, US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said as cited by news agency AP.

The Bahamas-bound Learjet 60 crashed in Greenacres, in Palm Beach County, narrowly missing nearby homes and passing vehicles. The impact left a large crater on the roadside, with flames and thick black smoke engulfing the area.

Air traffic control recordings reveal the desperate final moments of the flight, as the pilot reported worsening weather conditions, turbulence and ice accumulating on the aircraft before issuing distress calls.

"We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence," the pilot initially told air traffic controllers.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the aircraft encountered precipitation and requested permission to climb 2,000 feet. The jet began losing altitude at an alarming rate, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency.

"We're descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the…

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