Crew reported ice, turbulence a minute before Palm Beach plane crash, NTSB says

David Goodhue, Lauren Costantino, Olivia Lloyd and Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald on Nov 2, 2026

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MIAMI — The crew of the Learjet plane that crashed into a Palm Beach County neighborhood Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board, began reporting light ice and turbulence about a minute before the aircraft rapidly descended to the ground, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Monday.

The plane took off from Austin, Texas, at 10:40 a.m. Sunday on its way to Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The pilot and co-pilot were in contact with air traffic controllers along the route, flying at 35,000 feet, NTSB member Tom Chapman told reporters during a briefing Monday in Palm Beach County.

The crew told air traffic controllers that they were experiencing light ice and “moderate” turbulence at 12:47 p.m. flying over Palm Beach County, Chapman said, adding that the temperature outside the aircraft was minus 53 degrees.

“Very soon after,” Chapman said the crew radioed that they were “picking up precipitation” and requested permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to climb to 37,000 feet. Less than 30 seconds later, the crew issued a mayday call and said they were descending, Chapman said.

At 12:48 p.m., the co-pilot radioed, “We are in an overspeed condition. Descending,” with the rest of the message “unintelligible,” Chapman said.

The plane crashed shortly before 1 p.m. No one on the ground was hurt or killed, but the area is closed and dozens of residents had to move from their homes because of the debris field and investigation.

A company called Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet, owns the plane, Chapman said. Authorities had not released the names of the two crew members or seven passengers as of Monday.

“I want to express our profound condolences to all the family and friends of those lost in this tragedy,” Chapman said. “We are truly sorry for your loss.”

About 20 NTSB investigators arrived in Palm Beach County on Sunday night, with more, including Chapman, arriving Monday.

Timothy Monville, NTSB investigator in charge, said the inquiry will include finding the pieces of the plane that fell off prior to the crash, examining the impact crater and speaking to witnesses.

He cautioned that the probable cause of the crash would not be released while investigators are on the ground.

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