A Learjet 60 carrying nine people crashed into a roadway in Palm Beach County on Sunday afternoon, November 1, killing everyone on board and leaving a massive crater near a mobile home park in what officials called a cataclysmic Florida plane crash. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the jet, which departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, went down at about 12:50 p.m.

Dashcam footage revealed the aircraft falling nose-first before exploding into a fireball, narrowly missing cars and homes during the afternoon commute. Air traffic control audio captured the crew's final moments before the tragic impact occurred.

The pilot initially reported severe icing conditions, an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius, and moderate turbulence. Moments later, the pilot declared Mayday, reporting an unprecedented descent rate of 10,000 ft per minute before warning the tower: We're going to crash into the ground.

Flight tracking data subsequently reported that the rapid descent rate actually exceeded 32,000 ft per minute at one critical point during the final dive. Governor Ron DeSantis said during a press briefing: It was a cataclysmic plane crash.

It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road. Local emergency officials confirmed that there were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities among residents on the ground in the surrounding neighborhood.

About 600 residents living near the crash site were swiftly evacuated to two local shelters because heavy debris blocked the main entrance to a mobile home park, said Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.

Aviation experts note this crash is the deadliest involving a Learjet 60 and the second-deadliest U.S. plane crash this year.