Cockpit voice recorder recovered from Florida Learjet crash

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 10 Nov, 13:45 · Archive

The NTSB has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a Learjet that crashed in Florida on 1 November, killing nine people.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday that it has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the Learjet 60 that crashed near Greenacres in Palm Beach County, Florida on 1 November, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport around 10:37 a.m., bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, and plunged into the ground shortly before 1 p.m.

The cockpit voice recorder, which captures pilot conversations, radio transmissions and audio alerts, was found at the initial impact site. The device is now being evaluated at the NTSB's Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Excavation work at the crash site has been completed, with crews having previously recovered part of an engine and the left tail elevator in three pieces, one of which was found nearly four miles from the crash site.

The Guardian reports that if data from the recorder can be recovered, it could provide crucial details about what the pilots said to each other as they encountered the conditions that led to the crash. The outlet notes that if the device was damaged or not functioning, it may yield no information. However, aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told the Associated Press that from photographs of the recorder's orange-painted metal shell, it appeared to be in decent shape, saying 'It's very plausible that any info on the recorder survived'.

Guzzetti cautioned that recovery is not guaranteed, citing the case of a medical transport plane that crashed in Philadelphia in January 2025, from which the NTSB recovered a cockpit voice recorder that had likely not been functioning for several years. Witnesses captured video of the Learjet as it plunged nose-first into the ground, and air traffic control transmissions recorded the moments as the pilots realised their situation.

How it is being reported

• Investigators recover voice recorder from Florida jet crash that killed nine peopleIf data from device is recovered, it could give crucial details about what pilots said as they lost control of aircraft Investigators said Monday they have recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a business jet that plummeted from the sky amid severe weather in Florida eight days earlier, killing all nine people on board. The recorder was found at the site where the Bahamas-bound Learjet slammed into the ground in Palm Beach county, Florida , and erupted in a fireball 1 November, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement posted to social media. Continue reading...Guardian World · 10 Nov, 13:15
• Cockpit voice recorder capturing doomed Learjet crew’s final moments recoveredThe aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder -- which captures the sound inside the cockpit, including pilot conversations, radio transmissions and audio alerts -- was recovered from the wreck.New York Post · 10 Nov, 03:46
• NTSB recovers cockpit voice recorder from Learjet crash site in FloridaThe NTSB recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the Learjet 60 crash site near Greenacres, Florida, as investigators probe the cause of the incident.Fox News · 10 Nov, 02:08

In this story: National Transportation Safety Board · Learjet 60 · Greenacres · Palm Beach County · Florida · Austin · Bahamas

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