9 Killed as Learjet 60 Crashes in Cresthaven, Florida

A Learjet 60 crashed near Cresthaven, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, according to NBC News.

What happened Sunday afternoon in Florida?

The jet went down near Cresthaven around 12:50 p.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration said, according to NBC News. It was not immediately clear whether anyone on the ground was hurt, the outlet reported.

How many people were on board the Learjet 60?

Nine people were on the plane, and all nine died, Duffy said. NBC News reported the Learjet 60 model involved is the same type of midsize business jet pictured at the 2009 Paris Air Show, a Bombardier Learjet 60XR.

Where was the flight headed, and where did it depart?

The flight left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the FAA told NBC News. The crash site in Cresthaven, Florida, sits along that general flight path toward the Bahamas.

What has the Transportation Secretary said about the crash?

Duffy called the crash a "horrific tragedy" in a social media post cited by NBC News. "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," he wrote. Duffy did not release the names of those killed or say what caused the crash, according to the report.

Who is investigating the crash, and what happens next?

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, NBC News reported. Neither agency had released a cause as of the report's last update Sunday at 4:52 p.m. ET. Federal crash investigations of this kind typically involve recovering wreckage, reviewing maintenance and flight records, and, when available, examining data and voice recorders before investigators issue preliminary findings. NBC News did not report a timeline for when the NTSB expects to release initial information on this crash.

Families of passengers and crew on business jet flights between the U.S. mainland and the Bahamas are a recurring but small share of general aviation fatalities tracked by federal regulators, though NBC News did not provide broader crash statistics in its report on this incident. Residents near Cresthaven have not been quoted publicly describing the crash, and NBC News did not report road closures, evacuations, or other immediate effects on the surrounding community as of Sunday evening.

Anyone with information about the flight or the crash site has not been given a public tip line by the FAA or NTSB in the reporting available. Readers checking for updates should watch for a preliminary NTSB report, which in past general-aviation crashes has typically followed within several weeks, and for any identification of the victims by authorities or family members.