9 Killed in Plane Crash in Residential Area in Florida, US
Press coverage 2 newspapers covered this event: Al-Rai · Al-Seyassah →
A private plane crashed in Florida, killing 9 people, with a federal investigation launched.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
Nine people were killed when a private plane crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, after it lost altitude sharply before crashing and catching fire.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the crash, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed via the “X” platform that all on board the aircraft perished. The plane turned into a ball of fire after the crash.
According to the FAA, the aircraft was a Learjet 60, en route to the Bahamas from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Data from ADS-B Exchange, a flight-tracking website, showed the plane lost approximately 27,000 feet of altitude within one minute before its tracking signals were lost.
The crash occurred about four miles south of West Palm Beach airport, which was renamed earlier this year in honor of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump had been in West Palm Beach earlier on Sunday but had departed the airport aboard Air Force One more than an hour before the crash.
The area experienced scattered storms at the time of the incident, and the plane had passed through a more intense storm cell minutes before losing altitude, though it remains unclear whether weather conditions contributed to the crash.
Following the accident, authorities closed northbound and southbound lanes on Military Trail until further notice, urging drivers to avoid the area and use alternative routes.
According to records from the National Transportation Safety Board, this incident is the second deadliest aviation accident in the United States this year, following the crash of a skydiving aircraft in Butler, Missouri, last June, which killed 12 people.
