Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the West Palm Beach Learjet crash “looked like a missile going down,” calling the impact “cataclysmic” during a Sunday press conference alongside county officials, according to video and reporting by The Gateway Pundit (TGP).
DeSantis: “Big crater,” debris over a wide area
DeSantis told reporters, “It looked like a missile going down. It left a big crater on the side of the road.” He added, “There was a lot of debris that was spewed as a result of this crash… as of now, we don’t have any reports of anyone who was on the ground apart from the people in the plane who were killed or injured as a result of debris.” He said he had spoken with county officials and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and that an investigation is underway.
Neighborhood cleared; road closed for weeks, officials say
Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said a residential community near the site was evacuated, with “about 600 people” relocating for the night. He described the area as a “crime scene” and said, “They’re investigating that, so the people can’t stay there.” Flores estimated the road would be closed for at least 30 days and said the impact created a “massive crater.”
County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said the county would be sending an emergency declaration to Gov. DeSantis.
Casualties and proximity to Mar-a-Lago reported by TGP
TGP reported the crash occurred “just miles” from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and said all nine people on board the Learjet 60 were killed. We have not independently verified these details.
“Mayday” on the radio before impact
Audio published by TGP captures a pilot saying, “We’re descending 8,000 feet — mayday, mayday! We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” followed by a female crew member saying, “Holy f*ck, we’re out of time!” The clip ends after, “We’re going to crash!” We have not independently authenticated the recording.
What investigators are looking at
DeSantis said, “There’s going to be more information that will come out… when the FAA people get here, they’re going to be able to get a lot more.” As of the press event cited by TGP, authorities had not stated a cause.
