Dashcam footage has emerged showing the moment a Learjet 60 business jet crashed near West Palm Beach, Florida. The impact left a crater in the road that was still burning when emergency crews arrived.
The video, which is now making rounds on social media, shows the aircraft hitting the ground near a mobile home park in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, at what appears to be full speed. The explosion that follows is immediate and enormous.
Nine people were on board the chartered jet. Authorities have confirmed “multiple fatalities” but haven’t said how many people died or who they were.
What the dashcam footage shows
The clip is credited to Aki Kuusisto and was recorded on Military Trail, the road that runs through the Greenacres neighborhood where the jet came down.
The driver is heading straight along the road under gray, overcast skies, with palm trees and power lines on both sides. There is no warning, no sound of an engine overhead, and nothing visible in the sky.
Then the whole frame turns white. A fireball erupts on the road directly ahead, so large it fills the camera’s view from edge to edge. Debris flies outward as a mushroom-shaped ball of fire rises above the site. The driver was heading straight toward the spot where the jet hit.
Another video that was filmed from street level afterward shows a gaping crater torn into the asphalt. The wreckage of at least one mobile home is burning beside it, and a burst water pipe is flooding the crater. Power lines are down, and debris is scattered across the road.
One nearby resident told reporters, “We lost power after a loud boom and can hear dozens of ambulances and fire trucks.” Others described the impact as sounding “like a missile.”
What we know about the aircraft
Flight tracking data shows the Learjet 60, registration N722BD, took off from Austin, Texas at around 10:37 AM ET. It was operated by LR60271 LLC and was on a chartered flight to Florida’s Palm Beach area.
ADS-B data indicates the jet went into a rapid, uncontrolled descent over West Palm Beach and hit the ground at 12:49 PM ET. It reportedly struck a tree and brought down power lines before crashing into the mobile home park, where the fireball destroyed at least one trailer.
The aircraft was reportedly based in Texas and valued at roughly $2 million. Its tail number and tracking data became inaccessible shortly after the crash, which is typical when aviation authorities take over an investigation.
The Learjet 60 is a mid-size business jet made by Bombardier. It can carry up to nine passengers plus two crew. Officials haven’t said how many of the nine on board were passengers and how many were crew.
Were any people on the ground hurt?
That hasn’t been confirmed. The jet came down in a mobile home community on a Sunday afternoon, when many residents were likely at home. At least one trailer was completely destroyed, and the plane crash caused power outages across the surrounding area.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared the incident a mass casualty event. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the crash and closed Military Trail in both directions between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, calling the response an “extended incident.”
What caused the crash?
It’s too early to say. The steep angle of the descent in the footage points to some kind of serious failure, but whether it was mechanical, structural, or related to the pilot’s condition is unknown. That won’t be clear until the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have examined the wreckage and recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders.
The NTSB typically sends a “go team” to the site of fatal aviation incidents within hours, and an investigation has been confirmed.
What the video does show is that the aircraft appeared to be out of control when it hit the ground. It came down nose-first and at speed, with no visible attempt to recover. Nine people were on board, and multiple of them are confirmed dead. The rest is now in the hands of investigators.
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this crash.
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