Why It Matters
Federal investigators are examining newly recovered Learjet wreckage as they work to determine why the aircraft crashed in Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people aboard. Weather conditions and the aircraft’s missing cockpit voice recorder remain central issues in the investigation.
What Happened
Crews began excavating the crash site Wednesday after utility workers drained water and removed hazards. The National Transportation Safety Board announced the excavation Thursday.
Investigators recovered part of an engine and the left tail elevator in three pieces. One section of the tail elevator was located nearly four miles from the crash site. Debris also landed on roofs of nearby homes and buildings.
Thomas B. Chapman, a National Transportation Safety Board member, described the recovered tail-elevator component as a “very important piece of evidence.” The board said, “Even small pieces of the wreckage may contain important evidence that could help investigators determine what happened.”
The Learjet 60 left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas at approximately 10:37 a.m. Sunday. It crashed just before 1 p.m. in Greenacres.
An air traffic controller warned the crew about moderate precipitation when the aircraft was at approximately 41,000 feet and offered deviations to the left or right. The crew later reported icing and turbulence and asked whether a “better ride” was ahead.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms were present across South Florida at the time of the crash. Investigators have not located the cockpit voice recorder and cannot confirm whether it was aboard the aircraft.
By the Numbers
9 — people aboard the Learjet; all were killed
3 — pieces of the recovered left tail elevator
Nearly four miles — distance of one tail-elevator piece from the crash site
41,000 feet — approximate altitude when the controller warned the crew
5 miles — distance of moderate precipitation from the aircraft
9 miles — distance from the crash site to Mar-a-Lago
Zoom Out
Weather will be a major focus of the federal investigation. Investigators are also examining the aircraft’s recovered components and the circumstances surrounding the missing cockpit voice recorder.
What’s Next
Investigators will continue excavating and analyzing the wreckage while assessing the reported icing, turbulence, precipitation, rain and thunderstorms. The nine people killed were Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp, Emma, Charlie, Anita Maria Cetina, Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras and Jeffrey Scott Gregory.