A business jet that departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for the Bahamas crashed Sunday afternoon in Greenacres, Florida, about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach. A federal investigator said Monday that all nine people on board died. Airport spokesperson Jim Reynolds described the aircraft as a private plane.
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said the aircraft appeared to start breaking up before it hit the ground, and parts may be found some distance away. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said about 77 mobile homes near the site were evacuated to a shelter and that the county does not have a timeline for residents to return.
TMZ, citing sources close to the family, reported that Austin tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, was among those killed. The Associated Press reported that a family identified one of the pilots as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha. Her license showed a rating for that Learjet model but not for serving as pilot in command. Authorities have not released the names of the victims, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office declined to discuss the death investigation.