Federal investigators are examining the crash of a business jet in Palm Beach County, Florida, which killed all nine people aboard on Sunday, November 1.

The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. It crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities.

Radio communications reported by the Associated Press describe worsening conditions before the aircraft went down. While flying at around 35,000 feet, the crew reported icing and turbulence and requested permission to climb another 2,000 feet.

The situation subsequently became an emergency. In transmissions captured by LiveATC.net, the pilot issued mayday calls and reported an increasingly rapid descent, followed by an overspeed condition. One distress call included the words: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”

The aircraft came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. Emergency crews responded, and authorities closed the affected stretch of road. Local reporting described flames, heavy smoke, and debris at the scene.

Although the crew reported difficult weather conditions, their role in the accident has not been established. Reports of storms in the area do not, by themselves, explain why the jet entered its fatal descent.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with assistance from the FAA. The FAA has cautioned that the initial information is preliminary and may change as investigators establish what happened.

“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” the pilot told controllers. But the situation rapidly deteriorated.

After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.

“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot radioed.

“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot radioed, before delivering a devastating acknowledgment of what was about to happen. “We’re going to crash into the ground.”