On Sunday, November 1, a Learjet 60 private airplane plummeted 27,000 feet in one minute and crashed in a residential and commercial area in Palm Beach, Florida.
Air Traffic Control (ATC) radio calls captured details of weather troubles moments before the cockpit frantically called out the “Mayday” signal.
The catastrophic accident, which took all nine lives on board and left a massive crater on the ground, took place merely six miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
Highlights
- A private Learjet 60 plane was destroyed in a devastating crash near Mar-a-Lago, ending the lives of all nine people on board.
- Photos and videos of the latest security upgrades at Donald Trump’s residence have sparked conspiracy theories about a possible connection.
- Eyewitnesses and experts have weighed in on the accident, with the latter speculating on what caused the crash.
While the incident is still under investigation, videos of Mar-a-Lago’s latest security provision have surfaced online, sparking conspiracy theories about an alleged connection between the two.
“Just in time for the unexpected Learjet crash less than 10 miles away. What a ‘coincidence,’” one user said.
Missile system installed near Mar-a-Lago has netizens wondering if they’re responsible for the crash
In late October, the airspace around Mar-a-Lago, and subsequently, the President Donald J. Trump International Airport, formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport, was equipped with surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems at the request of the U.S. Secret Service.
Photos obtained by the Palm Beach Daily News showed multiple SAMs on a floating barge near Trump’s residence, which ex-Navy pilot and Top Gun alum Matthew ‘Whiz’ Buckley identified as the short-range air defense system Avenger.
Buckley told WPTV News that the system carries Stinger missiles and 50-caliber machine g*ns capable of taking down both manned aircraft and automated drones.
“The US Secret Service is operating in a heightened threat environment, and we continuously adapt our protective operations to incorporate cutting-edge tools, technology, and methods to safeguard our protectees,” a Secret Service spokesperson told The Telegraph, explaining the decision.
Photos and videos of the weapons have surfaced after the Florida crash, prompting netizens to come up with conspiracy theories about whether the Learjet plane was brought down by the Mar-a-Lago SAMs.
“A plane comes missile-ing down to the ground within the same week of installation… Weird,” one person said. Another wrote, “We're supposed to believe that these air defense systems had nothing to do with the bizarre high-speed crash of a private jet in the vicinity?”
“As a former soldier in a patriot unit, this is unusual and way out of the norm. Something is wrong, and they’re not saying anything,” a third commented. A fourth said, “He’s really attacking US citizens now, huh.”
Earlier in July, Matthew Quinn, the Secret Service’s deputy director, wrote a court filing requesting permanent air travel restrictions in the area, saying, “The airborne threat vector at Mar-a-Lago is persistent and substantial.”
Frantic final messages from the cockpit revealed harrowing details of the incident
The private Learjet 60 flight was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
According to FlightRadar24 data, it departed Austin at 10:37 a.m. ET and initially climbed to 41,000 feet. At 12:35 p.m., near Naples, the aircraft began a descent to 35,000 feet.
At 12:48 p.m., the aircraft briefly climbed before taking a steep, right-hand descent of over 27,000 feet in under a minute. The last data from the aircraft showed an altitude of 8,750 feet and a maximum vertical speed of more than -32,000 feet per minute (fpm).
A radio conversation between the cockpit and Miami ATC indicated the plane was encountering “light, clear ice” and “moderate turbulence,” which was described as “manageable.”
The outside air temperature was -47 degrees Celsius (-52 degrees Fahrenheit), and the turbulence bounced the plane by up to 700 feet, according to CNN.
The cockpit asked if they could climb to 37,000 feet, presumably to fly above the turbulent air and ice. However, the situation drastically changed just moments later.
“Mayday, mayday!” the pilot said in an increasingly panicked voice in the next message.
“We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute! We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute… We’re going to crash into the ground! We’re going to d*e!” the last message from the cockpit said.
The plane was co-piloted by a 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. The identities of the other deceased have not yet been revealed.
Eyewitnesses and aviation experts weighed in on the fatal crash
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed the crash took place in the Military Trail area, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.
Disturbing dashcam footage from nearby vehicles has captured the horrifying moment when the jet plunged into the tarmac before erupting into a massive fireball, with thick smoke billowing out from the wreckage.
Locals gathered at the scene, with some witnesses telling local news outlets that the impact sounded like “a missile strike.”
“I heard and felt the boom,” Andrew Mannino, one of the evacuated residents of the nearby mobile park, told CNN. “The power immediately went out and is still out.”
“Everything was engulfed in flames, and then after the flames, it was like rain of metal," said Stephanie Platts, whose mobile home caught on fire from flying debris. Her dog, Moose, ran away amid the chaos.
Mary Schiavo, an aviation lawyer and former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, told The New York Times that too much ice residue on the wings can destroy airflow, which is consistent with how the accident occurred.
“That is a plane not descending, but a plane falling,” Schiavo speculated. “Icing can be so severe it can overcome and stall the plane.”
Steven Arroyo, a retired United Airlines captain, said that the ATC audio recordings suggest that the “plane was uncontrollable.”
"Just in time for Epstein class election," one user said
