All nine people on board a private Learjet died on Sunday afternoon when the aircraft crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida, US transport officials have said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Learjet 60 had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it came down in Palm Beach County.

Mayday call and rapid descent

An audio recording from a Miami air traffic control centre, broadcast by LiveATC, captured the jet's final moments. The cockpit crew first reported managing ice and moderate turbulence, then declared a mayday as the aircraft began descending at 10,000 feet per minute. Within about half a minute, the crew reported a descent rate of 22,000 feet per minute and said they were going to hit the ground. Flight tracking site Flightradar24 put the peak vertical descent rate above 32,000 feet per minute.

Investigation under way

The crash left a large crater by the road near the entrance to a mobile home park, and about 600 residents were evacuated to two shelters, Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said. Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash a horrific tragedy, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it had opened an investigation. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were affecting the area at the time, according to forecaster AccuWeather. The cause of the crash has not been established, and officials had not released the names of those on board.

Sources: Reuters via BusinessWorld; Palm Beach Post live updates.