Alan Rapp

WHERE’S THE AIRPLANE? LET ME EXPLAIN WHAT YOU’RE SEEING. I’ve been reading numerous comments about today’s horrific Learjet crash in Palm Beach County, Florida. People are asking, “Where’s the airplane?” Some are even suggesting it was a drone, a missile, or something other than a jet because there’s virtually nothing recognizable left at the crash site. I want to explain something from firsthand experience, because I’ve witnessed this kind of devastation with my own eyes. During my 40 years working in radio and television broadcasting, particularly in the news industry, I had the unfortunate experience of visiting numerous aircraft crash sites. But there’s one tragedy I’ll never forget. On December 11, 1991, a Beechjet 400 carrying executives of Bruno’s supermarkets, including members of the Bruno family, crashed into Lavender Mountain near Rome, Georgia. All nine people aboard were killed. I WAS THERE. I STOOD AT THAT CRASH SITE AND SAW THE DESTRUCTION FIRSTHAND. What I witnessed was almost beyond description. There was virtually nothing recognizable as an airplane. No intact fuselage, no recognizable wings or tail section, and nothing I could visually identify as human remains. It looked as though someone had scattered a truckload of garbage throughout the woods. Small fragments and debris were everywhere. Had you not known an aircraft had crashed there, you might never have recognized the scene for what it actually was. The airplane had been so violently destroyed that it appeared almost completely vaporized. THAT BRINGS ME TO TODAY’S LEARJET CRASH. On November 1, 2026, a Learjet 60, registration N722BD, crashed in Palm Beach County after a catastrophic descent. Flight-tracking information shows the aircraft had earlier been cruising at approximately 41,000 feet. During its final descent, its recorded vertical speed exceeded 32,000 feet per minute! Think about that for a moment. That’s a downward rate of more than 360 miles per hour, and that’s only the vertical component of its motion. The precise speed at impact has not yet been established. Now consider what happens when an aircraft moving at tremendous speed strikes solid pavement or the side of a mountain. IT’S CALLED KINETIC ENERGY, AND THE PHYSICS ARE DEVASTATING. Kinetic energy increases with the square of an object’s speed. Double the speed, and you quadruple the kinetic energy. When an aircraft strikes an essentially immovable surface at extreme speed, that enormous energy must be dissipated almost instantaneously. The aircraft can be crushed, torn apart, and fragmented into thousands of pieces. Metal structures disintegrate, components can become embedded in the ground, and debris can scatter across the impact area. Aviation fuel can ignite, creating a tremendous fireball that adds to the destruction. The human body is equally vulnerable to these tremendous forces. In catastrophic impacts, the resulting injuries and fragmentation can be so severe that very little may be visually recognizable to someone observing the scene. THIS IS WHY I’M TELLING YOU ABOUT THE BRUNO’S CRASH IN 1991. I personally witnessed what a violent aircraft impact can leave behind. It wasn’t a recognizable airplane broken into a few pieces. It was an area of scattered debris that barely resembled an aircraft crash site at all. And when I look at today’s footage, including the massive impact, fireball, crater, and scattered wreckage, I recognize the same kind of catastrophic destruction. People keep asking, “Where’s the plane?” THE AIRPLANE DIDN’T MAGICALLY DISAPPEAR. IT WAS CATASTROPHICALLY DESTROYED ON IMPACT. Just because you cannot identify an airplane among the debris doesn’t mean one wasn’t there. Aircraft can be reduced to countless fragments, and trained accident investigators can identify wreckage that an ordinary observer would never recognize. The FAA has identified today’s aircraft as a Learjet 60. Its flight was documented, and investigators are working to determine the cause of the accident. There is no sound basis for claiming that an unrecognizable debris field proves a drone, missile, or conspiracy was involved. I witnessed this kind of destruction nearly 35 years ago. That’s why I wanted to share my experience and help people understand what they’re actually looking at. BUT THERE’S SOMETHING FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE DEBRIS, THE PHYSICS, OR THE SPECULATION. Nine human beings lost their lives in this horrific tragedy today. Nine people who had families, friends, loved ones, and futures ahead of them. In a matter of seconds, those lives were taken, and countless others were forever changed. I cannot imagine the heartbreak their families are experiencing tonight. Having stood at the scene of a tragedy like this before, I can tell you that the images never truly leave you. Long after the news coverage ends, the families are left to carry the grief. PLEASE, BEFORE SPREADING ANOTHER CONSPIRACY THEORY, REMEMBER THE PEOPLE WHO DIED. They deserve dignity, compassion, and respect. This was not entertainment, and it was not simply another dramatic video circulating on social media. This was a heartbreaking loss of human life. My deepest condolences, heartfelt thoughts, and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of everyone who perished in today’s crash. May God embrace those nine precious souls, comfort their grieving families, and give them strength through the difficult days ahead. Please take a moment to say a prayer for those who lost their lives today. Honor their memory and remember the families whose lives have been changed forever. May they rest in eternal peace. God bless them all. 🙏