Influencer Aishah Sofey has received backlash after slamming jokes about the Sunday crash of a private jet in Palm Beach County, where all nine passengers on board died. In a post on X that she later deleted, she encouraged people to show compassion for the victims.
Sofey said: “This private jet crash really showed me that no matter what the situation is there will always be people with no empathy, kindness, or compassion for others. Not everything is meant to be made into a joke. Imagine how terrified those people must’ve been knowing their life is coming to an end and there was NOTHING they could do. May god protect each and every one of us from any similar calamities. Rip.”
The influencer didn’t mention the social media accounts she was replying to, and the reason for deleting the post wasn’t clear.
The Learjet 60 plane was flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North at around 12:50 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths and described the crash as “a horrific tragedy.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted that there were no reports of casualties or injuries on the ground.
Sofey emphasized the passengers’ fear in the final moments. Air traffic control recordings by LiveATC.net revealed how quickly the situation was developing.
Just moments before the crash, the pilot told controllers the jet had a light coating of clear ice and would face moderate turbulence that bounced the plane up and down by as much as 700 feet. The outside air temperature was recorded at minus 47 degrees Celsius.
Having encountered precipitation and requesting to climb 2,000 feet, the pilot declared an emergency, transmitting mayday signals and stating a descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute.
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said.
The last transmission came just moments later: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
According to Flightradar24 data, the jet climbed to around 41,000 feet after departure from Austin and later flew at 35,000 feet, cruising east when the problem started. Within about a minute, the jet dove steeply, dropping faster than 30,000 feet per minute, faster than its design speed. Tracking data showed that the jet fell about 27,000 feet in about a minute before losing the signal at 8,750 feet.
Dashcam footage that appeared online showed the plane diving toward the ground nose first, then exploding in a ball of fire. The aircraft crashed near the gate of a mobile home park, creating a crater along South Military Trail and spreading debris across the road.
At that time, scattered thunderstorms were moving through South Florida, and a flood watch was in effect until Monday afternoon. Whether weather played a role in the crash hasn’t been mentioned yet.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with the FAA assisting. The NTSB said its investigators would reach the crash site by Monday and plan to give a briefing in West Palm Beach. A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days.
According to FAA records, the jet, registration N722BD, was owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. The aircraft was approximately 22 years old. It wasn’t clear who was operating the flight, and authorities haven’t named nine passengers on board as of Sunday night. The Austin airport spokesperson said it was a private aircraft.
“It looked like a missile going down,” said DeSantis at the crash site.
About 600 residents from the nearby mobile home community were relocated to shelters, and Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North was closed. Greenacres, a city of about 45,000 people, is located approximately 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach.
Only one U.S. airplane crash this year was more deadly, according to NTSB records: it happened in June in Butler, Missouri, and killed 12 people.
