Miami (AFP) - Nine people were killed on Sunday in the southeastern United States after a private plane crashed and plunged at great speed about ten kilometers from the residence of US President Donald Trump in Florida, according to authorities.
Published on: 02/11/2026 - 11:27
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement to reporters near the crash site that it was "catastrophic," adding that the plane looked "like a falling missile."
Video clips posted on social media and reported by American media showed a plane falling very quickly and hitting the ground, turning into a huge fireball near a busy road.
Transportation Minister Sean Duffy said in a statement, “The plane crash that occurred today in Palm Beach County, Florida, is a terrible tragedy,” confirming the death of the nine people on board the plane.
The plane had taken off from Austin, Texas, heading to the Bahamas, before it crashed at 12:50 local time in Palm Beach County, about ten kilometers in a straight line from Mar-a-Lago Resort, Trump’s luxurious residence.
The US President left the headquarters in the late morning. At the time of the accident, he was on his way to Iowa and Kansas to participate in two campaign rallies ahead of the midterm elections on Tuesday.
The plane is a Learjet 60 designed for business flights. It crashed in the Christhaven neighborhood, near a complex of mobile homes, and the authorities were forced to evacuate about 600 of its residents and transfer them to shelters, according to local authorities.
DeSantis explained that the accident did not result in any casualties on the ground.
Horrifying final communications
The US Federal Aviation Administration announced the opening of a joint investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board to uncover the causes of the accident.
Thunderstorms were recorded in the area. Trump carried an umbrella as he boarded the presidential plane, Air Force One, on the grounds of Palm Beach Airport, which was recently given his name.
The horrific final communications between the plane crew and the control tower reveal the speed of the accident, according to an audio recording of less than two minutes published by the “Live ATC” website.
In the recording, a woman's voice is heard from the cockpit informing air traffic control of the presence of "moderate turbulence" and saying that the crew is "dealing with ice."
A little later, the same speaker indicates that the plane has entered a “precipitation area” and that it must “climb,” before issuing a distress call, saying, “Mayday, Mayday, we are descending at a rate of ten thousand feet per minute.”
She shouted, “Emergency situation, we are exceeding the maximum speed,” noting that the plane was falling at a rate of “twenty thousand feet per minute.”
The air traffic controller responds in a neutral voice, “The altitude is up to your discretion. Tell me what you need.”
She responds, “We will hit the ground,” before a final scream is heard and the call is cut off.
© 2026 AFP
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