NTSB locates jet tail parts miles away
Investigators determined the left elevator detached from the Learjet 60 before it struck a highway in Palm Beach, Florida.
By Kofi Costa ·
National Transportation Safety Board investigators identified key flight control components approximately 1.3 to 3.8 miles from the site of a private jet crash in Palm Beach, Florida. The discovery occurred on Tuesday regarding the Learjet 60 that crashed on Sunday, an incident that claimed the lives of all nine people on board.
NTSB Board Member Tom Chapman stated that the agency recovered the majority of the aircraft's left elevator in three separate pieces. This surface is responsible for controlling the vertical movement of the nose. Because the fragments were located a considerable distance from the impact zone, investigators concluded they separated from the fuselage before the jet hit the ground.
Chapman described the loss of the elevator as a primary piece of evidence for the ongoing inquiry. He noted that the part controlling upward and downward motion may not have been effective at the speed the aircraft was traveling. Officials are currently determining whether the detachment caused the nosedive or if aerodynamic forces caused the part to separate from the airframe.
The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it descended into a multi-lane highway. Air traffic control audio recordings indicate the crew reported moderate turbulence and ice accumulation shortly before the crash. The pilots stated they were picking up precipitation and needed to climb. Within moments, the cockpit voice recording captured the plane descending at 10,000 feet per minute.
The crew declared an emergency and reported an overspeed condition with a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. A voice in the cockpit stated that the aircraft was going to crash into the ground. The NTSB plans to examine the role of weather in the sequence of events. The force of the impact created a large crater in the roadway, complicating access to the wreckage and causing severe damage to the remains.
Seven passengers died in the crash. A joint statement identified them as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two. The group also included family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and nanny Anita Maria Cetina. Media reports identified the pilot as 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory. The co-pilot was reported to be 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, who obtained her pilot's license at age 17.
