NTSB finds aircraft broke apart before Florida jet crash that killed nine

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 22:08 · Archive

A Learjet carrying nine people from Texas to the Bahamas broke apart mid-air before crashing in Palm Beach County on Sunday.

A Learjet 60 crashed in a Palm Beach County neighbourhood on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard: seven passengers and two crew members who were flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

The National Transportation Safety Board revealed Tuesday that parts of the aircraft were recovered miles from the impact site. The left elevator from the tail, a component critical for controlling the jet's pitch, was found in three pieces between 1.3 and 3.8 miles away. This discovery indicates the aircraft began breaking apart before impact. NTSB member Tom Chapman said that even if the elevator had remained attached, it would likely not have enabled the pilots to recover the jet given its descent speed.

The co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, told air traffic controllers minutes before the crash that ice was accumulating on the plane and severe turbulence had thrown it up and down by more than 700 feet, before declaring 'mayday'. Investigators are preparing to drain water from the impact crater to recover additional components, though pieces buried there are expected to be small given the force of the crash.

When asked about the crash occurring less than 10 miles from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, Chapman said there was 'no evidence of connection. Purely coincidence'.

How it is being reported

• Parts of jet that crashed in Palm Beach County found miles away, NTSB saysNine people were killed when a Learjet 60 that departed Austin for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County on Sunday.CBS News · 3 Nov, 21:07
• NTSB finds 'no evidence' of Mar-a-Lago connection after Florida jet crash kills nine peopleThe Learjet 60's left elevator was found miles from the Palm Beach County crash site, adding evidence the jet broke apart before killing all nine aboard.Fox News · 3 Nov, 20:13

In this story: Learjet 60 · National Transportation Safety Board · Palm Beach County · Austin, Texas · North Eleuthera · Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras · Mar-a-Lago · Donald Trump

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log