The pilot of a private jet told air traffic controllers the plane was experiencing moderate turbulence and going through some precipitation just before it plummeted at 20,000 feet per minute and crashed into a residential area in Florida, killing all nine people aboard.
The Learjet 60 flew for approximately two hours after leaving Austin for the Bahamas and began its rapid descent around 12:48 local time Sunday, according to data from Flightradar24. The pilot asked controllers for a “better ride,” and as the plane started climbing, she suddenly shouted, “Mayday! Mayday!” She then said the craft was descending at 8,000 feet per minute and accelerating.
“We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute!,” the unidentified pilot yelled, according to an audio recording posted online by Liveatc.net. “We’re going to crash into the ground!”
The pilot then said they’re “out of time,” the last transmission before the aircraft smashed into the ground. The plane’s vertical rate eventually exceeded 32,000 feet per minute, according to Flightradar24.
The plane crashed near Cresthaven, Florida, at 12:50 p.m., US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X. Dashboar...