- A Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, on 1 November
- All nine people on board were killed
- The aircraft had taken off from Austin Bergstrom International Airport
- Officials described a rapid descent and fireball on impact
- The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating
A Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, on 1 November 2026, killing all nine people on board. The business jet, operated by Aurora Aviation doing business as Upper Jets, departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The aircraft carried two flight crew members and seven passengers.
Around 12:47pm, while cruising at 35,000 feet, the flight crew radioed air traffic control to report manageable clear ice and moderate turbulence. The crew received approval to climb to 37,000 feet to escape precipitation. Less than 30 seconds after that approval, the pilots transmitted a Mayday call as the aircraft entered a sudden, rapid descent in an overspeed condition. The plane dropped roughly 27,000 feet in a single minute before impacting the ground.
The aircraft slammed into a roadway and exploded into a fireball near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, scattering wreckage across a half-mile debris field. While one person in a nearby vehicle sustained a leg injury, there were no ground fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board launched a GO team led by investigator Timothy Monville. Investigators believe the aircraft may have broken up mid-air before hitting the ground, as part of the tail component that controls pitch was recovered intact roughly four miles from the primary crash site.
