Overview
- A Learjet 60 en route from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera crashed into a residential area near Cresthaven on Sunday, creating a large crater and killing all nine people aboard.
- Cockpit audio and LiveATC transcripts show the pilot reported ice accumulation and turbulence, then declared a mayday as the jet entered a steep, rapid descent.
- The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched a joint investigation and have secured the scene for evidence collection and recovery operations.
- Local officials evacuated about 600 residents from a nearby mobile‑home park, closed the area for cleanup, and reported no confirmed deaths on the ground in initial statements.
- Investigators will examine maintenance records, flight‑data and cockpit‑voice recorders, and weather conditions as they work through a process that typically takes months and has precedent in past Learjet incidents.