“We are out of time.”
Unverified footage posted on social media appears to show a dash-camera recording the crash. The video shows vehicles travelling along a residential suburban street when an aircraft suddenly nose-dives into the ground
The jet’s crew repeatedly issued distress calls as the aircraft lost altitude at an alarming rate. Her frightened son rushed to her as windows rattled and electricity went out, Fox News reported, according to the mother. Thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time of the incident. Dangerous weather conditions in the region included precipitation, turbulence and icing, all factors reported by the flight crew before the aircraft went down, according to the National Weather Service.
Air traffic control recordings reveal the aircraft encountered worsening weather conditions, turbulence and ice accumulation in its final minutes. Moments later, the situation deteriorated further. Air traffic controllers attempted to communicate with the crew as the jet continued its rapid descent. However, after the aircraft encountered precipitation and sought a higher altitude, conditions worsened rapidly. The jet also made a sharp right turn before plunging toward the ground. Unverified footage posted on social media appears to show a dash-camera recording the crash. The video shows vehicles travelling along a residential suburban street when an aircraft suddenly nose-dives into the ground before erupting into a massive fireball. Other videos recorded by motorists captured the aircraft plunging from the sky before striking near a roadway and exploding. Images from the scene showed a crater-sized hole in a residential road, with flames burning around scattered debris and chunks of concrete. Thick black smoke rose above the crash site as stunned residents gathered nearby. A Florida mother and her son were preparing to leave their apartment when a powerful explosion shook their home. He initially believed a lightning strike had caused the blast, but they soon noticed thick black smoke rising outside. The crash occurred in Greenacres, in Palm Beach County, Florida, in a residential neighbourhood. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash. (With inputs from agencies)
Those were among the final words transmitted from a Learjet 60 before it plunged into a residential neighbourhood in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday, leaving at least nine people dead. The Learjet 60 had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft was travelling east at 35,000 feet when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested permission to climb an additional 2,000 feet. Flight tracking data and air traffic control recordings indicate the jet climbed to about 41,000 feet before entering a steep descent. The aircraft first descended at around 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute and eventually more than 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the plane beyond its design limits, according to the data. Flight data later showed a descent rate exceeding 32,000 feet per minute. The last signal from the aircraft was recorded at an altitude of about 8,750 feet.
“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said. “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said before adding, “We’re going to crash into the ground. In another chilling transmission captured in air traffic control audio, a female crew member was heard shouting, “Holy f**k we’re out of time,” moments before the aircraft nose-dived into the ground. “November two bravo delta, I’m here with you, talk to me,” a controller said. “We are descending 22,000 feet, and we are banking, 60 degrees … we’re going outside,” the crew member replied in one of the final recorded messages from the aircraft. Earlier, the pilot had told controllers, “We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence. Authorities have not immediately said what caused the aircraft to crash.
The site lies about seven to eight miles west of Mar-a-Lago and around four miles south of an airport in West Palm Beach, where President Donald Trump had departed more than an hour before the crash.
