All 9 Died On Board Jet That Crashed In FL Neighborhood: Authorities

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL — All nine people on board a jet that was captured on video nosediving into a residential Palm Beach County neighborhood in a fiery crash were killed, according to authorities.

The Learjet 60 crashed around 12:50 p.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths in a social media post Sunday afternoon, calling the crash "a horrific tragedy."

The incident occurred on Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North near Greenacres, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

What appeared to be video from the scene circulating online showed an aircraft falling rapidly from the sky, a fireball and a flaming crater.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the crash left a crater in the ground and spewed debris. There were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed, he said.

"It was a cataclysmic plane crash," DeSantis told reporters at the scene on Sunday. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road."

Palm Beach County District 3 Commissioner Joel Flores said at a press conference Sunday streamed by the county sheriff's office that what he described as "a massive crater on Military" could keep the road's southbound lanes closed for weeks.

Rain pounded the region on Sunday. A flood watch due to excessive rainfall was in effect through Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

'Mayday, Mayday'

The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the FAA.

The plane was heading east at 35,000 feet when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to climb 2,000 feet.

Moments later, the plane entered a steep dive, first 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute and up to 30,000 feet per minute, speeding the plane beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.

A pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls. The plane banked sharply to the right before it crashed steeply into the ground.

Minutes before the crash, the pilot reported ice accumulating on the jet and turbulence that was jolting it by as much as 700 feet, according to air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net.

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

But the situation rapidly deteriorated. After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.

"We're descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed.

"We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed, before delivering a devastating acknowledgment of what was about to happen. "We're going to crash into the ground."

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said it was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.

Local authorities are evacuating about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigate the crash. The road will be closed until further notice, county officials said.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.