Air traffic control recordings reveal that the crew of a Learjet 60 reported icing, turbulence and precipitation before the aircraft entered a catastrophic descent and crashed in Florida on Sunday, 1 November 2026, killing all nine people on board.
The recordings, captured by LiveATC.net and reviewed by flight-tracking service Flightradar24, document how an initially controlled exchange with Miami air traffic controllers became an emergency within moments of the pilots asking to climb to a higher altitude. The precise cause of the accident has not been established.
This is a follow-up to our initial report on the fatal Palm Beach County crash.
What the crew told air traffic control
The privately operated Learjet 60, registration N722BD, had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft had been flying at 41,000 feet before descending towards 35,000 feet over Florida.
In the radio traffic, the crew reported icing conditions and moderate turbulence, and asked whether better conditions might be available farther ahead. They then told the controller they were encountering precipitation and requested a climb to 37,000 feet. Permission was granted.
Shortly afterwards, the crew declared an emergency and reported an extremely rapid descent. During the exchange, one crew member warned that the jet was going to crash. An air traffic controller continued attempting to speak to those aboard as contact was lost. Different published transcriptions render some of the last words differently, so Fish 4 News has avoided treating every caption in the online video as an independently authenticated quotation.
What the flight data shows
Flightradar24 says the aircraft briefly climbed at approximately 17:48 UTC before entering a steep right-hand descent. The last altitude it received was 8,750 feet at 17:49:22 UTC, about 12.49pm in Florida. During the descent, the aircraft transmitted a vertical rate greater than 32,000 feet per minute.
A newly circulated aviation reconstruction, built around air traffic control recordings and aircraft-tracking data, gives an altitude change of 26,700 feet in 66 seconds. That is the video producer’s calculation from its chosen data points; the separately verified Flightradar24 figures confirm an exceptionally rapid descent but should not be confused with an official accident reconstruction.
The last reported altitude was not the height of impact. It marks the point at which the tracking service ceased receiving altitude information, not the point at which the aircraft first reached the ground.
What we know
- US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people aboard died.
- The aircraft was a 2004 Learjet 60, registered N722BD, travelling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
- The jet crashed near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North in the Greenacres/Cresthaven area of Palm Beach County at around 12.50pm local time on 1 November.
- The crew reported icing, moderate turbulence and precipitation before requesting to climb, according to recordings independently reviewed by Flightradar24.
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, with support from the FAA.
What we do not know
Investigators have not established whether icing, turbulence, aircraft systems, loss of control or any other factor initiated the rapid descent. Reports of adverse conditions are relevant evidence, but are not a finding of causation. The emergency recordings do not prove what went wrong inside the aircraft.
The identities of those killed had not been released in the official information available for this report. Reports also had not established a final assessment of possible injuries or damage on the ground.
What investigators have said
The NTSB said it had dispatched an investigative team to the scene and planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday, 2 November. The agency’s findings will carry more weight than interpretations of online audio, flight-tracking reconstructions or footage of the impact.
The original route is also important. Although one YouTube video description describes the aircraft as bound for Palm Beach International Airport, the FAA and Flightradar24 identify North Eleuthera in the Bahamas as its destination.
Watch: Flight tracking and final radio calls
Content warning: The following video includes footage of a fatal crash and recordings of the crew reporting an emergency. Its visual sequence and on-screen captions are produced by the uploader and should not be mistaken for an official NTSB reconstruction.
The video illustrates the flight path alongside weather radar and includes the radio exchange with Miami Center. Its reconstruction can help explain the sequence, but it cannot independently establish the cause of the crash.
Sources and further information
- Flightradar24: flight data and independently reviewed radio communications
- Associated Press: fatal crash, emergency communications and local response
- Reuters: nine fatalities and the FAA-confirmed route
- Local 10: NTSB announcement and location
- Video: flight-tracking reconstruction and ATC audio
- Nine News Australia: original dashcam footage used in featured composite
