A business jet crashed into a residential street in South Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard and triggering a large explosion near homes and a busy road.

The aircraft, a Learjet travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, went down in Greenacres, near West Palm Beach. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a mass casualty incident.

Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot reporting icing, precipitation and severe turbulence before the aircraft entered a steep dive.

In the final moments before impact, the pilot told the tower the plane was descending at 10,000 feet per minute. Seconds later, the pilot declared an emergency, shouting: "We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute."

The pilot's last words to the tower were: "We're gonna crash ... We're out of time."

Unverified footage posted on social media, appearing to show a dash-camera recording of the moment of impact, shows vehicles travelling along a residential suburban street when an aircraft nosedives almost vertically into the ground and explodes into a large fireball.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed reporters at a news conference following the crash. "When you see that video, it's a jarring thing," he said. "It's like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere."

DeSantis said that as of the time of his remarks there were no confirmed reports of casualties on the ground.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the crash as a "horrific tragedy" and said the Federal Aviation Administration was sending a team to the scene to assist a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

"Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," Duffy added.

The identities of those aboard the jet had not yet been confirmed at the time of reporting.