Nine people were killed Sunday when a Learjet 60 crashed into a roadway in Palm Beach County, Florida, erupting into flames and leaving a massive crater.

The private jet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed in the Greenacres area shortly before 1 p.m.

According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft descended at an extremely high rate shortly before impact. The pilots had reported turbulence and icing conditions before declaring an emergency.

The crash triggered a major emergency response, road closures, and the evacuation of approximately 600 nearby residents.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.