The aircraft crashed near Cresthaven, approximately 14 kilometers (nine miles) from US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, BBC News reports.
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The jet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it suddenly lost altitude and plunged into a six-lane road at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time (17:50 GMT).
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people on board had died in the crash.
According to US media reports, one of the victims was 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, who was serving as the aircraft’s co-pilot. Authorities have not yet officially released the identities of all those killed.
Flight analysis indicated that the business jet was descending at a rate of hundreds of feet per second before impact.
Audio recordings from air traffic control captured alarming exchanges from the cockpit moments before the crash.
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 ft per minute,” a voice was heard saying.
“We are going to crash into the ground,” the person added.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis compared the aircraft’s descent to a missile strike, describing the incident as a devastating tragedy.
“It was like a missile coming down and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere. And to have those people on board, it’s really a tragic way to see people pass away,” DeSantis said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the accident and is expected to provide further details during a press briefing.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, and investigators have not yet determined what led to the aircraft’s rapid descent.
