All Nine Aboard a Jet From Austin Die in a Florida Crash. Grieve First, and Let Investigators Work.
A Learjet 60 that left Austin-Bergstrom for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, Sunday, killing all nine aboard. The pilot had reported ice and turbulence before declaring a mayday.
The facts come first below. My opinion follows in the section marked as opinion.
All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 that left Austin, Texas, on Sunday were killed when the business jet crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida. The flight departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was headed for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down near Cresthaven around 12:50 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said, NBC News reported.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that everyone on board died. "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," Duffy wrote. No one on the ground was injured, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters, and about 600 people were evacuated from the area near a mobile home park, CBS News reported.
A spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport told the Associated Press the jet was a private aircraft and could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight, according to CBS News.
What the pilot reported
In air traffic control audio, a pilot reported experiencing "light, clear ice" but said it was "manageable," and described "moderate turbulence." The pilot later reported picking up precipitation and asked to climb. About two minutes after the ice report, the pilot declared a mayday and reported the jet was descending 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute, NBC News reported.
Dashboard camera video showed the jet nose-diving into a roadway at high speed, followed by a fiery explosion. "It looked like a missile going down. It left a big crater on the side of the road," DeSantis said. A flood watch was in effect for southern Florida, with showers and scattered thunderstorms in the forecast, according to NBC News.
The investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it was launching a go-team to investigate, with investigators expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. Details about what may have caused the crash had not been shared, CBS News reported.
The jet is registered to a limited liability company in Delaware, according to FAA records. Bombardier, which makes the Learjet, said, "We cannot comment on the potential cause of this accident until the investigation is complete and we will fully support the investigating authorities and cooperate as needed," NBC News reported.
The identities of the people on board had not been released, NBC News reported.
Joel Flores, a Palm Beach County commissioner, said of the evacuated residents, "We have about 600 people that we have to make sure that they have shelter tonight," according to NBC News.
Opinion: Grieve first, and let the investigators work
Nine people woke up Sunday expecting to land in the Bahamas. By Monday, their loved ones were living through the worst news a family can receive, and the rest of the country was watching video of the moment it happened.
The first duty of everyone else is to grieve with them. Secretary Duffy was right to ask Americans to pray for the families, and Christians should do it without being asked. Scripture promises, "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." That promise is for these families today.
The second duty is restraint. It is tempting to treat the pilot's radio calls about ice and turbulence as a verdict. The NTSB has not done that, and neither should we. Weather may have played a part, or it may not. Real answers take time, and they should. Guessing early can wound grieving families and blame people who cannot answer back.
The third duty is gratitude. A jet came down near homes and a mobile home park, and no one on the ground was hurt. First responders cleared the area and found shelter for hundreds of neighbors in a single afternoon. That is the kind of quiet service that rarely makes the news.
Hold the families close in prayer today. Hug your own. And let the people whose job it is to find the truth do their work.
