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A Learjet crashed into a neighborhood in southern Florida, just miles from President Donald Trump’s resort home on Sunday, killing everyone on board, according to officials.
Unverified videos shared on social media showed the plane nearly vertical as it hit the ground at high speed, causing a massive fireball and leaving a burning crater near a busy road.
“Today’s plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida, is a horrific tragedy,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement, confirming that all nine individuals on the plane lost their lives.
Duffy noted that the Learjet 60 had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was on its way to the Bahamas.
“This is clearly a devastating plane crash,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters at the site.
“It looked like a missile going down,” he remarked, adding that there were no reports of injuries among people on the ground.
Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday but left from the nearby President Donald J. Trump International Airport shortly after boarding Air Force One at 11:55 am (1655 GMT), about an hour before the Learjet crash occurred.
The aircraft went down near the entrance to a mobile home park, Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores stated, mentioning that around 600 residents were evacuated and moved to shelters.
“The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Storms were reported in the area, and Trump took an umbrella with him as he got onto Air Force One.
In a recording shared on the air traffic website liveatc.net, someone in the cockpit can be heard saying there was moderate turbulence and that the crew was managing the ice.
The person mentioned that the plane was picking up precipitation and needed to climb. They then said: “Mayday, mayday, we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.”
A few seconds later, they declared an emergency as the plane dropped 20,000 feet per minute.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” the person said just before communication stopped.
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