Learjet Crash in Greenacres Kills Nine; NTSB Investigates

A Learjet 60 crash killed nine people aboard and injured a motorist near Greenacres, Florida, on November 1, 2026. The impact damaged a major road and displaced hundreds of residents. Investigators found indications that parts of the jet may have separated before impact. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not determined the cause.

At about 12:50 p.m. Eastern Time, the aircraft struck the ground beside Military Trail in unincorporated Palm Beach County. Fire, a large crater and scattered wreckage marked the area near homes and businesses. Meanwhile, emergency crews closed the road and helped displaced residents.

NTSB identifies the Learjet and its flight to the Bahamas

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the aircraft as a Learjet 60 flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. Its registration was N722BD, according to the FAA aircraft registry.

In its official investigation record ERA27MA026, the NTSB names the operator as Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet. The flight carried two pilots and seven passengers. FAA records separately list LR60271 LLC of Delaware as the registered owner.

According to Flightradar24’s flight data, the jet left Austin at 9:37 a.m. Central Time. It later approached South Florida at about 35,000 feet before the emergency developed.

Crew reported icing and turbulence before rapid descent

During a November 2 briefing, NTSB board member Tom Chapman outlined the crew’s final communications. The pilots reported light ice accumulation, moderate turbulence and precipitation while flying at about 35,000 feet. They then requested a climb to 37,000 feet.

Less than 30 seconds after controllers approved the request, the crew declared an emergency. A pilot reported a steep descent and excessive speed, or an overspeed condition. WFLX’s account of the NTSB briefing places the emergency transmissions at about 12:48 p.m. Eastern Time.

Separately, Flightradar24 recorded a descent rate exceeding 32,000 feet per minute at one point. The last position report arrived at 12:49:22 p.m., showing 8,750 feet of barometric altitude. Radio reports and flight-tracking data are different measurements, so their descent rates need not match exactly.

However, those readings do not prove that weather, aircraft systems or another factor caused the crash. Chapman said the NTSB still needs to establish what conditions the crew encountered at its cruising altitude.

Investigators find signs of possible breakup before impact

The NTSB’s November 2 briefing introduced another finding: investigators have indications that parts of the aircraft separated before impact. Chapman said the team still needed to establish which components were involved and when they separated. Therefore, a possible in-flight breakup is an investigative lead, not a conclusion about the cause.

Investigators described a debris field roughly half a mile long and four-tenths of a mile wide. Pieces landed near ballfields, businesses and residential property. Meanwhile, rainwater collected in the roadway crater, complicating the recovery of major wreckage.

Maintenance records indicate the Learjet had a cockpit voice recorder installed. Yet the NTSB had not confirmed whether the device remained aboard or whether investigators could recover it. The agency is also reviewing aircraft structures, systems, weather records and air traffic control communications.

One person injured on the ground; hundreds displaced

At the November 2 briefing, NTSB investigator-in-charge Timothy Monville confirmed a leg injury to a person in a nearby vehicle. This supersedes initial statements from Sunday that reported no injuries on the ground. No deaths on the ground were reported in the information reviewed for this update.

As a result, as many as 600 residents near a mobile-home community faced evacuation or restricted access. County officials arranged shelters and transportation through Palm Tran. WFLX reported that a broken water main disrupted service. Heavy rain also slowed the recovery of wreckage.

As of the November 2 county notice, Military Trail was closed between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive. No reopening date had been confirmed. Palm Beach County directed north-south traffic toward Haverhill Road or Kirk Road. For east-west travel, officials named 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive as alternatives.

In its November 2 emergency statement, Palm Beach County confirmed a Level 2 activation of its Emergency Operations Center. This means a partial response. The county declared a local emergency on November 1 for both the crash and widespread flooding. Officials separately described aircraft-related damage and flood damage; the two events must not be conflated.

Families identify seven passengers and a co-pilot

A joint statement from the passengers’ families identified Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, their children Emma and Charlie, Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina. CBS News Miami reported the family announcement on November 2.

Separately, relatives identified 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. Those names come from families, not from a complete official victim list issued by investigators. The families have requested privacy.

NTSB investigation continues with no established cause

About 20 NTSB specialists arrived to document the site and examine the wreckage. In addition, investigators are collecting witness accounts and recordings. The agency asks anyone with relevant video or photographs to email witness@ntsb.gov. Anyone finding aircraft debris should leave it in place and notify investigators or local authorities.

The NTSB has not established why the Learjet crashed. Similarly, AeroSillage’s Colorado DA40 final-flight report shows how tracking records can document an aircraft’s movements without identifying a cause. Its Alaska Cessna 441 investigation coverage also separates preliminary evidence from the NTSB’s final conclusions.