A Florida family has recalled how their apartment began “shaking” when a business jet plunged to the ground “like a missile” on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard.
The mother and her son were preparing to leave their home in Greenacres at about 12:50 p.m. when the $2 million Learjet 60, which was traveling from Texas, crashed near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. The impact felt, she said, “like a super big explosion.”
“It sounded, like, very massive, huge,” she told Fox News, describing how her terrified son ran toward her moments after the crash.
At first, the boy said, he thought the noise was “like a ginormous lightning strike.”
His mother said the apartment soon lost power, while the curtains covering the windows “started shaking a bit.”
The electricity was restored about seven minutes after the impact.
When the family looked outside, they saw “some smoke, black smoke,” the mother said. About three minutes later, they began hearing sirens.
Other witnesses said they were “lifted from the ground” as the road buckled and a huge fireball erupted at the crash site.
A $2 million Learjet 60 carrying nine people plunged to the ground on Sunday.
Dashcam Captures Fireball Jet Crash Near Mar-a-Lago
The Learjet was carrying nine people when it fell from the sky in poor weather, crashing just eight miles from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The aircraft erupted in flames on impact near West Palm Beach.
Harrowing dashcam footage captured the jet plunging sharply toward the ground before triggering a massive explosion.
“When you see that video, you know, it’s a jarring thing,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Sunday evening as he stood near the crash site in pouring rain. “It was like… a missile coming down and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere.”
The force of the crash scattered debris across a wide area and left a large crater in the road. Authorities said no one on the ground was injured or killed.
However, nearly 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community are being forced to relocate because the entrance to their neighborhood was directly beside the wreckage, officials said.
“Unfortunately, that’s a crime scene. They’re investigating that, so the people can’t stay there,” former Greenacres Mayor and current Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said at a news conference.
Flores and other elected officials said the crash also damaged nearby infrastructure, potentially disrupting water and other services.
County officials are preparing two shelters for residents displaced by the plane crash, while the American Red Cross remains on standby.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the falling plane looked “like a missile.”
Chilling Audio Captures Seconds Before Fatal Florida Jet Crash
Flores said the section of road where the Learjet crashed is unlikely to reopen “in the next 30 days.”
Nearby businesses could also remain closed for an extended period as crews repair the roadway and investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board examine the wreckage.
The cause of the crash remains unclear.
KEEP READING: Ocala Academy Parents Demand Uniform Change After Teacher Arrest
But air traffic control audio revealed that the female pilot relayed pivotal information to an air traffic controller just seconds before it plunged thousands of feet in a minute.
The air traffic controllers in nearby Miami had given pilots permission to ‘deviate left and right’ due to ‘moderate precipitation… to the southeast’ that they described as ‘pretty nasty’ as the twin-engine business jet approached the area.
The controllers could then be heard describing ‘moderate turbulence’ before the pilot’s tone swiftly descends into panic as she realizes something is wrong with the jet.
She is heard saying: ‘Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000 ft per minute.
Seconds later, she screams ‘declaring emergency, declaring emergency we are in an overspeed condition’ before her voice breaks as she shrieks ‘descending 20,000 ft per minute…we’re going to crash into the ground.’
Police and emergency vehicles are seen closing off the street.
Nearly 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community are now being forced to relocate following the crash.
Distressing Audio Captures Final Seconds of Fatal Florida Jet Crash
‘I’m here with you, talk to me,’ the air traffic controller says in an attempt to calm the situation.
‘We are descending 22,000 ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.’ This means the wings were tilted at a 60-degree angle, meaning the jet was nearly completely sideways.
‘We’re out of time,’ she screamed.
The Daily Mail has chosen not to publish the final seconds of audio which are extremely distressing.
When he was later asked about the aircraft’s rapid descent, DeSantis suggested something may have gone wrong before the plane struck the ground.
‘To see the way it descended, yeah, I think you can make the inference that something happened in the air that was a big problem,’ he said.
Weather conditions in the West Palm Beach area on Sunday afternoon were poor, overcast with rain and lightning in the area and winds from the east at 15 mph, gusting to near 25 mph. The National Weather Service in Miami said visibility was 7 miles.
The flight had set off from Austin, Texas, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas before its path abruptly ended just near West Palm Beach, according to flight data.
The devastating crash took place just miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
Trump had been celebrating the holiday there Saturday night by hosting hundreds of friends at a jungle-themed Halloween party.
The president made an appearance, dressed as himself.
‘I’ve spent nine hours getting ready,’ he joked. ‘I had ten minutes, so I came as Donald Trump tonight! Hello everybody.’
But as the plane crashed down on Sunday, Trump made his way to Iowa for the final leg of his midterm campaign.
CHECK THIS OUT: Heartbroken Mother Discovers Babysitter Responsible for Her Baby’s Death