Private jet crashes in Florida’s Palm Beach County, killing all nine people on board

Nine people were killed when a private jet crashed in a populated area of Palm Beach County, Florida.

The aircraft, a Learjet 60, crashed near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. After hitting the ground, the plane caught fire.

The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was traveling to the Bahamas. There were nine people on board in total.

Flight-tracking data cited by CNN show that the aircraft lost around 27,000 feet, or more than 8,000 meters, of altitude within one minute. Tracking stopped shortly afterward.

At the time of the accident, there were scattered thunderstorms in the area. According to CNN, several minutes before the rapid descent began, the aircraft had passed through an area where the storm was more intense. It is not yet known whether the weather contributed to the crash.

Footage from the scene shows the plane descending rapidly toward the ground before crashing and becoming engulfed in flames near the populated area.

U.S. President Donald Trump was in West Palm Beach earlier on Sunday. CNN reports that he had departed on Air Force One just over an hour before the crash.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. The incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).