A private jet that crashed into a Florida highway and killed all nine people aboard may have started breaking apart while it was in the air, investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the November 1 crash of a Learjet 60 in Palm Beach County.
The aircraft was flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it went down in a residential area near Greenacres, Florida.
The victims were seven passengers and two crew members. Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their children Emma, 4 and Charlie, 2, were killed along with them, per the family’s relative who posted a statement on Facebook.
Adam’s brother Anthony Robinson posted an emotional online tribute to the family.
“Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever,” he wrote, remembering their warmth and generosity. “Everyone who knew them will feel their loss deeply,” he added.
The two pilots on board were also killed. The co-pilot was identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, and the captain, Jeff Gregory.
NTSB Recovered Critical Aircraft Component
NTSB board member Tom Chapman announced at a news conference on November 3 that investigators had found a good part of the aircraft’s left elevator, including a tail unit that controls upward and downward movement.
The part was found in three pieces and debris lay between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site.
Tom called it “a very significant bit of evidence” for investigators trying to reconstruct the final moments of the flight.
He said that finding the component away from the main impact site meant parts of the aircraft may have separated before the plane hit the ground.
But investigators don’t know if the elevator broke away and crashed with the plane or whether extreme forces experienced as it descended rapidly caused it to detach.
The NTSB is still recovering wreckage from the impact site and surrounding area.
Pilots Reported Icing and Turbulence Before Crash
Investigators are also looking at the plane’s final communications with air traffic control.
The crew reported moderate turbulence and ice accumulation at about 35,000 feet, per the NTSB.
The pilots initially said it was manageable. But the aircraft reportedly had altitude changes of about 700 feet due to turbulence.
The crew then asked air traffic controllers for permission to climb to 37,000 feet and they granted it.
Less than 30 seconds later, things got worse. The aircraft lost altitude and the crew made a Mayday distress call.
In the last radio transmissions, Tom said the jet was overspeeding and descending rapidly.
The NTSB has not determined whether the aircraft encountered an active thunderstorm prior to the accident.
Crash Created Massive Crater and Forced Evacuations
The Learjet hit a road shortly before 1 p.m. local time, leaving a large crater near the shopping center and residential properties.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was falling at 350 feet per second when it crashed.
Videos went viral online showing the jet hitting the ground and then erupting into a fireball.
The crash also injured a man who was in a vehicle near the scene of the crash. He suffered a leg injury, investigators said.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from 77 mobile homes in the surrounding area as emergency crews arrived on scene.
Investigators have also been combing through debris strewn around nearby homes, businesses and recreational areas.
The NTSB said the investigation would include reviewing recovered aircraft components, flight information and other available evidence.
Although investigators have found several important clues, they don’t know what caused the crash. The agency is still looking to see what happened in the last moments of flight.
