Timeline of Learjet crash that killed Austin family traces final minutes from takeoff to Florida plunge

A Learjet carrying nine people crashed in Greenacres, Florida, shortly after 12:48 p.m., killing everyone on board, including an Austin family of four. Air traffic control recordings and flight data trace the final minutes and show the crew reporting worsening weather before the aircraft’s sudden descent.

The plane took off from Austin at 10:37 a.m. and reached about 41,000 feet around 11 a.m. After receiving warnings about precipitation, the crew changed its route and later reported icing and turbulence; as it began climbing, it descended at roughly 10,000 feet per minute, then about 20,000 feet per minute. The crew declared a mayday and told controllers, “We’re going to crash into the ground”; investigators have yet to fully explain the reported overspeed warning and in-flight breakup.