A desperate final message was heard from the Learjet 60 that plunged into a Florida mobile home park, ending nine lives and possibly more.
Newly released air traffic control audio captured the crew's frantic messages and screams as the $2 million private jet crashed into the ground. The aftermath looked like “a meteor” had struck, residents said.
Highlights
- The pilot’s last words were captured before the Learjet 60 slammed into the Greenacres mobile home community in Florida.
- The aircraft reportedly descended about 27,000 feet in the span of one minute before flight-tracking data cut off.
- “It shook the whole house. It went right over us and crashed probably less than half a mile from where I live,” one resident said.
- About 600 residents in the area were left needing shelter.
“Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house,” said one resident. “Everything was on fire. The road was on fire.”
The doomed Learjet 60’s pilot made desperate mayday calls before plunging into a Florida mobile home park
The horrifying incident unfolded around 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, when the Learjet 60 went down in the Greenacres mobile home community in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The aircraft was reportedly traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed, clipping a tree and bringing down power lines.
Video footage captured the plane nose-diving straight into the ground and tragically ending the lives of nine people on board.
When you see that video, it's a jarring thing,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters following the crash.
“It's like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere.”
Authorities are yet to confirm the number of victims on the ground.
“As of now, we don't have any reports of anyone who was on the ground… who was k*lled or injured,” DeSantis added.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” the pilot said before screams of terror were heard in the audio
The newly released recordings captured the terrifying moments leading up to the disaster.
Things seemed under control when the pilot reported moderate turbulence and “light, clear ice that is manageable” to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.
The situation escalated within moments, and the pilot issued desperate “mayday” calls.
“We’re descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said as the flight descended at an alarming rate.
The aircraft reportedly plunged around 27,000 feet in the span of one minute before flight tracking data cut off.
“We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot screamed.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” the pilot said.
The air traffic controller was heard saying, “November two bravo delta, I’m here with you, talk to me.”
“We are descending 22,000 feet, and we are banking, 60 degrees ... look outside,” the crew member responded.
With the disaster seemingly seconds away, screams of terror were heard as the crew member delivered the haunting final message: “Holy f***, we’re out of time.”
Residents described the terrifying moment the jet slammed into the Greenacres mobile home community
Flight data showed the aircraft plummeting 32,000 feet per minute, roughly 360 MPH, and smashing into at least one trailer, causing a massive fireball.
“Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire,” resident Anthony Blackmon told NBC6.
Blackmon admitted he had only seen incidents like this on the news and never imagined this happening so close to his home.
“It shook the whole house. It went right over us and crashed probably less than half a mile from where I live,” another resident, Roger Forcelle, told the outlet.
“Everybody came out of their houses because you could feel it shaking.”
Another resident said the crash site “looked like a meteor hit the ground.”
Andrew Mannino, another resident, said he could smell the smoke and “saw a large black cloud immerse in the air” after the crash.
About 600 residents in the area were left needing shelter, and it would take at least 30 days before the road is reopened
The wreckage had blocked the entrance to a mobile home park, leaving about 600 people needing shelter after evacuation.
Joel Flores, Palm Beach County commissioner for District 3, said the residents were being sent to two shelters in the county.
Authorities said it would take at least 30 days to take care of the damage to local infrastructure, including water lines, before the impacted road can be reopened.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated.
Mary Schiavo, aviation analyst and former inspector general for the Transportation Department, said the flight’s “descent” did not seem “controlled.”
“That is a descent where literally you’re exceeding that the speed of the plane on descent. You’re exceeding the descent rate,” she told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Sunday.
“So at that point, it’s clear whatever happened,” she added, “they had lost control of the plane.”
“The scream was the last thing that was heard from the open mic!” one commented online
