Federal investigators are examining whether a private Learjet began breaking apart before crashing into a Palm Beach County neighborhood, as pilots’ final radio transmissions describing icing, turbulence and an uncontrolled descent provide important evidence about the fatal accident.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Federal aviation investigators said Monday, Nov. 2, that severe weather is a major focus of their investigation into a private jet crash that killed nine people in South Florida, revealing preliminary evidence that the aircraft may have begun breaking apart before striking the ground.
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said investigators are examining whether portions of the Learjet 60 separated from the aircraft during its final descent Sunday afternoon near Greenacres in Palm Beach County.
“We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact,” Chapman said during a Monday news conference. “And so, some of this has yet to be determined. We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site.”
The discovery introduces a significant new element into the investigation, which already includes reports of icing, turbulence and an extraordinarily rapid loss of altitude.
According to ABC News’ coverage of the NTSB briefing, investigators cautioned that they had not determined what caused the aircraft to lose control or whether structural damage preceded the emergency.
The jet crashed at approximately 12:50 p.m. Sunday near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, striking a roadway close to a residential community before erupting into flames.
All nine people aboard were killed.
The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was traveling to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
The NTSB’s official investigation record identifies the aircraft as a Learjet 60 operated by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet. The agency has classified the investigation as ongoing.
The plane was carrying two crew members and seven passengers.
Investigators are examining the wreckage, weather reports, flight-tracking information and air traffic control communications to reconstruct what occurred during the aircraft’s final minutes.
Before the emergency, the flight crew reported icing and moderate turbulence while traveling at approximately 35,000 feet. The pilots requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet, apparently seeking improved flying conditions.
Archived air traffic control recordings captured a rapid deterioration in the aircraft’s performance.
“We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!” one pilot reported.
The crew then warned that the aircraft was exceeding its normal operating speed as its descent accelerated.
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said.
Flight-tracking data indicated the jet lost approximately 27,000 feet in about one minute before its signal disappeared.
The recordings and flight data are expected to help investigators determine whether the aircraft encountered severe turbulence, experienced a loss of control or suffered a structural failure.
According to a Washington Post examination of the weather and NTSB findings, a rapidly developing thunderstorm near Palm Beach intensified shortly before the accident.
At approximately 12:36 p.m., the storm reached about 33,000 feet. Within 20 minutes, it had grown to approximately 48,300 feet as powerful updrafts carried moisture higher into the atmosphere.
The Learjet reportedly entered the storm around 12:47 p.m., approximately three minutes before the crash.
Thunderstorms can produce severe turbulence, rapid changes in wind direction and icing conditions that affect aircraft performance.
Strong updrafts and downdrafts can destabilize an aircraft, while ice accumulation can interfere with airflow, reduce lift and affect flight instruments.
However, investigators have not established that any of those conditions caused the Learjet to lose control.
Chapman emphasized that the NTSB remains in the evidence-gathering stage and will not reach conclusions about the cause while investigators are still examining the scene.
“We will not be determining the probable cause of the crash while we’re here on scene, nor will we speculate about the cause,” Chapman said.
The potential midair breakup will require investigators to determine whether aircraft components separated because of excessive aerodynamic forces, structural damage or another event.
If investigators locate wreckage away from the main impact site, the position and condition of those components could help reconstruct the sequence of events.
The aircraft struck the ground at an extremely steep angle, leaving a large crater and scattering wreckage across the surrounding area.
Recovering evidence from the crater presents additional difficulties because of its depth and accumulated water.
Investigators are also seeking a recording device previously installed on the jet.
Chapman said officials are determining whether the equipment remained aboard at the time of the accident and whether it survived the crash.
“We’re very hopeful that we can recover it,” he said.
Such recordings could provide additional information about cockpit communications, the aircraft’s systems and the crew’s responses during the emergency.
Authorities have also asked residents and witnesses to preserve photographs, videos and any aircraft debris found outside the main crash site.
The accident caused extensive damage near a mobile home community and forced approximately 600 residents to evacuate.
Officials initially reported no injuries among people on the ground, but NTSB investigators said Monday that a nearby motorist suffered a leg injury.
Family members have begun identifying the victims.
According to The Guardian’s reporting, the passengers included Texas technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr; and the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina.
The aircraft’s captain was identified as Jeff Gregory, 55, while the co-pilot was Nathalia Filgueiras, 20.
Filgueiras’ mother confirmed her daughter’s death and said she had worked for Upper Jets, a private charter company based in Fort Lauderdale.
The NTSB has not suggested that either pilot’s age or experience caused the crash.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, an experienced pilot, separately urged the public to avoid blaming the crew before investigators establish what happened.
According to Business Insider’s coverage of Isaacman’s response, he criticized online speculation about the co-pilot’s final radio transmissions, emphasizing that she was communicating with air traffic controllers during a rapidly developing emergency.
The NTSB investigation will examine the pilots’ training and qualifications alongside weather conditions, aircraft maintenance, mechanical systems and available flight data.
Investigators must also determine whether the reported overspeed condition preceded the loss of control or resulted from the aircraft’s rapid descent.
That distinction could be important in establishing whether excessive aerodynamic forces contributed to the suspected structural breakup.
The investigation’s findings could eventually lead to safety recommendations concerning aircraft operations in severe weather, flight training, maintenance or equipment.
The agency typically issues a preliminary report before completing a more extensive investigation into the probable cause.
Chapman said the objective extends beyond identifying what happened to preventing similar accidents.
“Our mission is to understand not just what happened but why it happened, and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again,” he said.
For now, the central questions remain whether the Learjet encountered weather severe enough to cause a loss of control, whether structural damage developed before impact and how those events unfolded during the aircraft’s final minutes.
The NTSB has not determined the cause of the Nov. 1 crash, and investigators continue collecting evidence from the wreckage, weather records and flight communications.
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