The crew of the Learjet in Sunday’s Palm Beach crash declared a mayday and told air traffic control the jet was falling 20,000 feet per minute before it went down in Greenacres, killing all nine people on board.
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The radio calls came from a woman on the flight deck. The Learjet 60 flies with two pilots, one at the controls while the other handles communication with air traffic control, and officials have not said which role she held or released the names of anyone on board.
Minutes before the emergency, she reported light, clear ice on the aircraft that the crew was managing, an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius, and moderate turbulence bouncing the plane up and down by as much as 700 feet. The controller acknowledged and told the crew to call if they needed anything else.
Then the calls turned urgent. She reported the jet descending through 8,000 feet, called out “mayday, mayday,” and said they were dropping 10,000 feet per minute. In the next transmission, she reported an overspeed condition, meaning the plane was flying faster than its maximum safe speed, and said the descent had doubled to 20,000 feet per minute. The FAA said the jet dove at about 350 feet per second, which works out to roughly 21,000 feet per minute.
“We’re gonna crash into the ground,” she radioed.
The controller stayed on the line. “I’m here with you, talk to me.”
Made to order and shipped to your door.
Her last report put the jet at 22,000 with the plane banking 60 degrees, a turn so steep the wings were tipped far beyond anything passengers feel on a normal flight. The recording ends with a call to look outside and a cry that they were out of time before contact was lost.
The Learjet 60, tail number N722BD, departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. It went down around 12:50 p.m. Sunday in a residential area near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said all nine people aboard were killed.
The victims have not been identified, and officials have not said whether anyone on the ground was hurt. Military Trail was shut down between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North as crews worked the scene, and dashcam video from a passing car captured the jet’s final plunge.
The NTSB is leading the investigation alongside the FAA. Weather in the area Sunday afternoon was overcast with rain and lightning, with winds gusting near 25 mph. Investigators have not said what caused the Palm Beach crash or whether the ice, turbulence or storm played a role.
