A $2 million private jet caused “cataclysmic” damage when it plunged into a Florida mobile home community, killing all nine people aboard and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.
The Bahamas-bound Learjet 60 crashed and erupted into a fireball near the entrance of the Greenacres mobile home community at about 1:25 p.m. Sunday. The impact left a large crater at the scene.
Despite the scale of the crash, Gov. Ron DeSantis and local officials said Sunday evening that there was no evidence anyone on the ground had been injured or killed.
The force of the impact scattered debris across a “significant distance,” prompting the evacuation of roughly 600 people from the adjacent community as federal investigators prepared to examine the wreckage.
“Obviously, this was a cataclysmic plane crash. It looked like a missile going down, it left a big crater on the side of the road,” DeSantis told reporters.
“There was a lot of debris that was spewed as a result of this crash,” the governor said. “As of now, we don’t have any reports of anyone who was on the ground, apart from the people in the plane, who were killed or injured as a result of debris,” he said.
“But the debris was significant, and it went over a pretty significant distance.”
Joel Flores, the Palm Beach County commissioner for District 3, said officials were focused on making sure displaced residents had shelter and food by nightfall. He also said nearby businesses would be “shut down for the near future.”
“Right now our priority is evacuating the adjacent community right behind. We have about 600 people that we have to make sure have shelter tonight, food,” Flores said.
Flores said he was also concerned that the mobile community’s main entrance had been completely destroyed, leaving county officials scrambling to establish alternate traffic routes.
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Shocking dashcam footage showed the jet plunging almost vertically toward the ground before exploding in a huge burst of fire and smoke.
“When you see that video, you know it’s a jarring thing … a massive explosion, debris going everywhere,” DeSantis said.
“And to have those people on board is really a tragic way to see people pass away. We should offer our thoughts and prayers to their family.”
Disturbing air traffic control audio captured the aircraft’s final moments, including a pilot heard saying, “holy f–k, we’re out of time.”
Rep. Debra Tendrich said fire rescue crews arrived at the crash site “immediately” and “did an incredible job.”
The National Transportation Safety Board told The Post that it had begun assembling a “go-team” to reach the scene Sunday night and Monday morning.
AccuWeather meteorologists reported heavy rain and thunderstorms in the area when the crash occurred, with rainfall rates estimated at about 0.25 inches per hour.
“The combination of thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and reduced visibility created challenging weather conditions in the area,” Alan Reppert, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said in a statement.
“What’s particularly important is that visibility could deteriorate significantly as heavier bands of rain moved through, meaning conditions were not necessarily consistent from one moment to the next,” Reppert said.
Authorities had not publicly identified any of the victims as of Sunday night.
The NTSB is expected to hold a press conference on the crash on Monday morning.