Shortly after Trump’s departure, a plane crashes near Mar-a-Lago, leaving 9 dead; footage of the impact into a residential home emerges.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), a fatal plane crash occurred in Florida on the 1st, when a small jet carrying nine people plummeted from the sky, nose-diving into a residential area. All nine individuals on board perished. The crash site is less than 11 kilometers from Mar-a-Lago, the estate of U.S. President Donald Trump; notably, President Trump had departed from a nearby airport aboard Air Force One just one hour earlier. Footage circulating on social media shows the aircraft plunging almost vertically toward the ground, erupting into a massive fireball upon impact and leaving a burning crater beside a road.
According to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Duffy, the aircraft—a Learjet 60—had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was en route to the Bahamas when it crashed near the Cresthaven neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The New York Post reports that newly released air traffic control recordings reveal the harrowing final moments before the crash. The pilot initially informed the Miami Air Traffic Control Center that the aircraft was encountering moderate turbulence and light icing; however, the situation deteriorated rapidly, and the plane began a precipitous descent at an alarming speed. The pilot issued an urgent “Mayday” call, exclaiming, “We are descending at 10,000 feet per minute!” Shortly thereafter, the pilot reported a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute, noting that the aircraft had reached an excessive, over-speed state.
As the crash became imminent, the pilot shouted in desperation, “We’re going to hit the ground!” followed by a scream. An air traffic controller attempted to provide reassurance, saying, “I’m here with you—talk to me.” The crew reported that the plane was banking at a 60-degree angle while continuing its rapid descent, before one crew member cried out in terror, “Oh God, we’re out of time!” These were the final words captured from the crew on the recording. Following the incident, several unverified videos began circulating on social media. The footage shows an aircraft plummeting toward the ground at a near-vertical angle and at high speed; the moment of impact triggered a violent explosion, sending a massive fireball into the air and leaving a burning crater near a busy roadway. According to the aviation news outlet Aviation 24/7, the aircraft clipped a tree and severed power lines before crashing—an impact so loud it was described as “sounding like a missile.” Debris from both the aircraft and a mobile home could be seen at the scene, creating a harrowing sight.
Donald Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago estate that day; he boarded Air Force One at 11:55 a.m. and took off from a nearby airport—recently renamed “Donald Trump Presidential International Airport”—shortly thereafter. The crash occurred approximately one hour later.
A storm was reported in the area at the time, and Trump was seen holding an umbrella as he boarded his plane; however, it remains unclear whether weather conditions played a role in the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stated that it will work with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate the incident and determine the cause of the crash.