It’s the ‘rocket ship’ adored by the super-rich. But now fiery Florida crash puts the tragic ‘accidents’ lurking behind Learjet’s glamour in the spotlight…

A Learjet 60 crashed in Greenacres, Florida, on 1 November, killing all nine people on board and prompting renewed scrutiny of the aircraft’s safety reputation. The Bahamas-bound jet came down in a residential area and burst into flames; about 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community.

Aviation author Gary D Park said the Learjet’s speed and power do not mean it has a poor safety record, which he says has improved over time. Pilot and aviation attorney Mike Slack, however, described the Learjet 60 as especially difficult to recover from a stall. The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and manufacturer Bombardier said it would support the inquiry and could not comment on the cause until it is complete.