Pilot's Chilling Warning Moments Before Jet Crash That Killed 9 Shatters Hearts

• A Learjet carrying nine people crashed into a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, on Sunday, erupting into a massive fireball near a major road
• Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot declaring a mayday as the jet entered a steep dive, descending at 10,000 feet per minute beyond its design limits
• The pilot's final transmission, recorded roughly 35 seconds after the first mayday call, has stopped people in their tracks since the recordings emerged

A private Learjet bound for the Bahamas crashed into a Florida neighbourhood on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, with air traffic control recordings capturing the pilot's final, desperate words in the moments before impact.

The aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when the situation turned catastrophic.

Flying east at 35,000 feet, the pilots encountered turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested permission to climb a further 2,000 feet.

Moments after that request, the jet entered a steep, uncontrolled dive that pushed it beyond its structural design limits, according to flight tracking data and cockpit recordings, Sky News reports.

The Pilot's Final Moments

What the pilot said in those last seconds has shaken people around the world.

Realising the aircraft was falling at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute, the pilot radioed air traffic control with an urgent mayday call.

"We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday, we're descending 10,000ft per minute. We're going to crash into the ground," the pilot said.

Approximately 35 seconds after that first mayday transmission, the final words captured from the cockpit were simply:

"We're out of time."

Nothing was heard from the aircraft after that. The jet slammed into a residential area near Cresthaven at around 12.50pm local time, erupting into a fireball that footage shows came within inches of passing vehicles on a nearby road.

Florida Governor Describes the Scene

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who attended the scene, said the scale of the destruction was unlike anything ordinary.

"It was a cataclysmic plane crash," he told reporters. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road."

He confirmed there were no immediate reports of casualties on the ground, with debris scattered over a significant distance.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people on board perished, describing the incident as a "horrific tragedy" and asking the public to pray for the families affected.

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, confirmed the aircraft was a private plane but was unable to immediately provide details on the identities of those on board.

Pilot's last words before jet crashed

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the final words of pilots involved in three devastating plane crashes were revealed, shedding light on the harrowing moments before the tragedies.

The pilots of Air France Flight 447, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, and a Pakistan International Airlines flight each conveyed a sense of lost control in their last words.