A Learjet 60 crashed 1 November near West Palm Beach, Florida at approximately 17:49 UTC (12:49 local time). According to the Federal Aviation Administration, 9 people were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash. The flight was en route from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go-team to begin an investigation.
The flight was operated by N722BD, a Learjet 60 manufactured in 2004. Departing Austin at 15:37 UTC, the aircraft flew east toward the Bahamas. At 17:35 near Naples, FL, the aircraft began a descent down to 35,000 feet. At 17:48, the aircraft briefly climbed, before entering a steep, righthand descent.
In air traffic control audio captured by LiveATC.net and reviewed by Flightradar24, the crew report icing conditions and moderate turbulence and ask for a “better ride.” The crew then informs ATC they are flying in precipitation and request a climb to 37,000 feet.
Shortly after receiving their climb instructions from air traffic control, the crew reported descending at a high rate in an overspeed condition. The last altitude data received by Flightradar24 was 8,750 feet at 17:49:22. During the descent, the reported vertical rate exceeded 32,000 feet per minute.
Downloadable data
Three files are available for download, a standard format CSV file, a standard format KML file, and a granular data file that includes higher frequency reports from the aircraft.
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Aircraft information
N722BD is a Learjet 60 serial number 60-271. The aircraft has positioned to Austin on 31 October from Little Rock, Arkansas.
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