The damage to the road and surrounding infrastructure is expected to disrupt local movement for an extended period. (Credits: Reuters)

Massive crater, burning debris: Florida plane crash leaves trail of destruction

A Learjet 60 crashed into a Palm Beach County neighbourhood, killing all nine people aboard. The impact forced 600 residents to evacuate and prompted a federal investigation.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Dashboard footage captured the aircraft plunging vertically before exploding into flames
  • Damaged water lines and a mobile home compounded neighbourhood disruption
  • Military Trail could remain shut for at least 30 days

A massive crater on a busy road, aircraft debris scattered across a residential neighbourhood and a fireball captured on a passing vehicle's dashcam.

The aftermath of the Learjet 60 crash in Florida has revealed the scale of destruction left behind when the business jet plunged towards the ground and exploded, killing all nine people on board.

The aircraft crashed near Cresthaven in Palm Beach County at around 11:20 pm IST on November 1 (12:50 pm local time in Florida).

It was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it went down near Military Trail, around 14 km from Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump's resort.

Images and videos from the site showed chunks of broken pavement, aircraft wreckage and debris spread across the roadway. Flames continued to burn near residential properties, while thick black smoke rose above the neighbourhood.

A large crater was formed in the neighbourhood after the crash. (Reuters)

The impact also left a large crater on the road, narrowly missing nearby homes and passing vehicles.

Footage recorded by people inside passing cars captured the aircraft descending steeply before hitting the ground and erupting into a massive fireball.

The explosion sent flames and smoke into the air, leaving emergency personnel to deal with burning wreckage and debris scattered across the crash site.

- Ends