Final audio from deadly Florida Learjet disaster: 'We're gonna crash'

PALM SPRINGS, Fla. - Nine people aboard a private plane were killed Sunday after the Learjet 60 crashed nose-first into the ground in Palm Beach County, according to the FAA and emergency officials.

While several investigations into the incident are underway, audio from air traffic control and the pilot details the plane's terrifying final moments.

Learjet crashes nose-first in Florida. No survivors.

The backstory:

The Learjet 60 went down around 12:50 p.m. Sunday in Palm Springs, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Officials said the flight departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading toward North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas before it crashed.

Video captured the plane nose diving into the neighborhood before bursting into flames and sending thick black plumes of smoke into the sky. Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department deputies and county fire rescue personnel rushed to the scene immediately, where the impact left a massive crater on the roadside and scattered debris across the area.

‘Mayday, Mayday’: Air traffic records Learjet's final moments

Timeline:

Air traffic control recordings archived by LiveATC.Net captured some of the final conversations between the pilots and those on the ground. In those conversations, the pilots talked about moderate turbulence, icing, and precipitation, before suddenly losing altitude and falling rapidly. 

Here are snippets of some of the conversations:

ATC: "What's the outside air temperature?"

Pilot: "Minus 47 degrees Celsius. We're managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence."

ATC: "Let me know if you need anything else. I'm just working you into my airspace right now."

Pilot: "Now we're picking up precipitation. We need to climb."

ATC: "Roger. Climb and maintain."

Pilot: "We're descending 8,000. Mayday, mayday. We're descending 10,000 feet per minute. Declaring emergency 722 Bravo Delta. We are in an oversea condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute."

ATC: "Let me know what you need."

Pilot: "We're gonna crash into the ground."

ATC: "November two Bravo Delta. I'm here with you. Talk to me."

Pilot: "We are descending 22,000 feet, and we are banking 60 degrees."

Pilot: (Inaudible screaming) "Look outside."

ATC: "November two Bravo Delta. How do you hear?"

Gov. DeSantis: ‘Like a missile going down’

What they're saying:

Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the tragedy during a Sunday press conference, describing the scene as catastrophic.

"Obviously, this was a cataclysmic plane crash. It looked like a missile going down," he said. "It left a big crater on the side of the road."

What we know about the victims

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the identities of the nine victims who died aboard the aircraft.

DeSantis said during his Sunday briefing that officials do not yet know whether any of the passengers or crew were Florida residents.

FloridaNews