9 Killed as Small Jet Crashes Into Florida Mobile-Home Neighborhood Near West Palm Beach

Nine people were killed Sunday when a small twin-engine jet crashed into a mobile-home neighborhood near Greenacres, Florida, erupting in a fireball and sparking fires, authorities said.

The Learjet 60 went down around 12:50 PM near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, just outside West Palm Beach. All nine people aboard were killed, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. Officials had not confirmed any fatalities on the ground as of Sunday afternoon.

The 22-year-old aircraft was flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The identities of those aboard were not immediately released.

Weather may have played a role: thunderstorms in the area could have exposed the aircraft to severe turbulence and upset its flight path, an aviation expert told CBS 12, though the cause of the crash remained under investigation.

The FAA and the NTSB are investigating, with the NTSB leading the probe. Military Trail was closed in the area as emergency crews responded.

(File Photo) A Learjet 60. Photo: Aeroprints.com via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.