US media reports and flight analysis indicate that the jet was plummeting hundreds of feet per second before crashing.
In air traffic control audio recorded moments before the crash, the pilot of the aircraft can be heard saying the plane was descending 10,000 feet per minute, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Then the pilot declared an emergency, yelling, “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” CBS reported.
“We’re gonna crash … We’re out of time,” the pilot told the tower.
Unverified footage posted on social media shows what appears to be a dash-camera recording of the moment of the crash. It shows vehicles driving on a residential suburban street, when suddenly an aircraft nosedives into the ground almost vertically, and explodes into a large fireball.
“When you see that video, it’s a jarring thing,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters at a news conference after the crash. “It’s like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere.”
It is not yet clear who was aboard the jet when it crashed. DeSantis said “as of now, we don’t have any reports of anyone who was on the ground…who was killed or injured”.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the crash as a “horrific tragedy”, and said the FAA was sending a team to the scene to help an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
“Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost,” Duffy added.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has declared a “mass casualty incident”.
