Nine killed after private jet crashes in Florida residential area

All nine people on board a Learjet 60 died when the aircraft crashed over a residential area near Cresthaven in Florida's Palm Beach district, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. The jet had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas; the cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

1 Nov 2026

All nine people on board a private Learjet 60 were killed when it crashed in Florida at midday US Eastern time, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy said on X that the aircraft went down over a residential area near Cresthaven. The cause of the crash remained unclear initially, and he did not say whether anyone on the ground was injured or killed.

The Learjet 60 had departed from Austin, Texas, and was heading to the Bahamas before it crashed in the Palm Beach district, Duffy said. A large crater was left in the asphalt of the road at the crash site.

The crash site on the US east coast is not far from President Donald Trump's private residence at Mar-a-Lago. In the final stretch before Tuesday's elections, the president had campaign events in other states.

Sources: FAZ.