The aircraft departed from Austin, Texas, and was en route to the Bahamas, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
The crash occurred near Cresthaven, about nine miles (14 km) from Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s resort in the affluent Palm Beach County area, at around 12:50 pm EST (17:50 GMT), the BBC reported.
Images circulating on social media showed a crater in the middle of a road following the crash.
No casualties were reported on the ground.
The private jet that went down just miles from Mar-a-Lago had 9 people on board, according to the FAA. The plane crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida. The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was on its way to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed. According to the New York Post, the plane took a "sharp right turn" before nosediving into the ground from about 8,000 feet. The plane is a $2 million Learjet 60, according to the Post. Witnesses on the ground say the crash sounded like a missile.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 1, 2026
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the crash caused extensive debris and damage to surrounding infrastructure, prompting road closures and evacuations in the neighbouring community.
“Approximately 600 residents are being assisted with temporary shelter and other essential needs,” the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
Confirming the fatalities, Duffy wrote on X: “All 9 people on board were killed.”
He described the incident as a “horrific tragedy”.