LITTLE ROCK, AR — Records reviewed by KATV show that the LearJet 60 involved in a deadly crash in Florida made a stop in Little Rock on Friday, days before the wreck in Palm Beach County. The flight later continued to Austin and then on to South Florida, where it went down on Sunday.
Nine people were killed in the crash. Officials said no one on the ground was reported hurt, even though the wreck left a crater in the roadway and scattered debris nearby.
Flight path shows an Arkansas stop before the fatal wreck
The records indicate the jet landed in Little Rock on Friday, Oct. 30, before departing the next day for Austin. After that, the plane left Austin on Sunday and ultimately crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft was later headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The sequence of stops has drawn attention because it places Arkansas on the jet’s route in the days before the crash, but the flight records do not explain why the aircraft paused in Little Rock.
Nine people died as the plane came down in Palm Beach County
The crash turned deadly when the LearJet went down in Florida, killing nine people aboard. Authorities have not released a cause for the accident, and investigators are still working to determine what happened in the final moments of the flight.
The scene included heavy damage on the ground, with a crater in the roadway and debris thrown into the surrounding area. Despite the severity of the impact, officials said there were no reported injuries to people on the ground.
Hundreds of nearby residents had to leave after the impact
The crash also forced a major response on the ground. About 600 residents from a nearby mobile home community were evacuated after the plane came down, reflecting the wider danger posed by the wreck beyond those on board.
Officials did not report injuries among evacuees, but the evacuation shows how quickly the accident affected the surrounding neighborhood. The crater and debris field prompted authorities to clear people from the area while crews dealt with the scene.
NTSB leads the investigation with FAA assistance
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash, with help from the FAA. The cause has not been determined, and investigators are examining the aircraft’s final route and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The NTSB was expected to provide an update at 1 p.m. Monday in West Palm Beach. That briefing was anticipated to be the first public explanation of what investigators had learned so far, even though no final findings were available at that stage.
What is known so far about the jet’s route and aftermath
So far, officials have confirmed a route that included Little Rock, Austin and then South Florida before the crash in Palm Beach County. The FAA also said the destination after Austin was North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, adding another leg to the aircraft’s planned trip.
For now, the main facts remain the same: nine people died, no one on the ground was hurt, and investigators have not yet said what caused the LearJet to crash. The Arkansas stop is one of the details helping map the plane’s path before the fatal accident.
