Florida Learjet crash, Palm Beach plane crash, Learjet 60 crash
Around 600 people living in a mobile home park near the site are due to be displaced while the federal inquiry continues Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

All nine people on a Learjet 60 business jet died on Sunday 1 November when it crashed beside homes in Palm Beach County, Florida. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths. Officials said they had no reports at that point of deaths or injuries on the ground.

Online rumours said without evidence that a missile from air defences guarding President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club could have downed the jet. Trump, in Palm Beach for the weekend, flew to a rally in Iowa at about noon, under an hour before the crash. Officials have not said what caused it.

How the Jet Came Down

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) figures show the jet descending from 35,250 feet (10,744.2 metres) and reaching 8,750 feet (2,667 metres) just over one minute later. On average, it dropped roughly 350 feet (106.68 metres) every second. Duffy described the crash as a 'horrific tragedy' in a statement on X. He said FAA staff would travel to the scene to help the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which leads the investigation. A copy of the full statement appears below.

Flight-tracking and registration data identify the Learjet as N722BD. The FAA said it took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The Learjet hit the ground beside Military Trail, a busy main road between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. The sky was overcast, with rain and lightning nearby, and the National Weather Service in Miami put visibility at seven miles.

Air Defences Around Mar-a-Lago

In October, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that it had placed ground-based air defences around Mar-a-Lago. The Secret Service, which protects the president, requested them. While Trump stays in Palm Beach, US aviation rules impose temporary flight restrictions, a no-fly zone covering his location. On 24 October, NORAD said an F-16 fighter intercepted a civilian aircraft inside that zone. The fighter flew close to the aircraft in a standard manoeuvre to catch its pilot's attention.

NORAD has reported more than 60 interceptions near Mar-a-Lago since January 2025. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the site on the day of the crash and praised the county's first responders for their quick work. He called the crash cataclysmic and said the jet had left a large crater next to Military Trail. The governor told reporters the falling jet seemed 'like a missile going down,' according to West Palm Beach broadcaster WPTV.

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What Happens Next

On X, the NTSB said it was sending a go-team, the agency's group of on-site crash investigators. The agency also said it would brief the media on Monday in West Palm Beach. County officials plan to move about 600 residents from a nearby mobile home park, and two shelters stood ready for them on Sunday.

NTSB investigators usually publish a preliminary report, a first account of their findings, within about 30 days. The agency set the same timetable in January 2025, after a Learjet 55 medical jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighbourhood and killed at least seven people. Authorities did not say on Sunday who was aboard the jet.

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