Learjet pilot could not recover from nose dive after tail broke apart
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 21:20 · Archive
A private Learjet that crashed in South Florida had structural damage that prevented the pilot from recovering from a nose dive.
A Learjet crashed near Greenacres, southwest of West Palm Beach, on Sunday afternoon, erupting in flames on impact. Investigators have discovered tail parts more than two kilometres from the crash site, confirming the aircraft was breaking apart before striking the ground.
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said the tail's elevator was broken into three parts. Without this component intact, the pilot would not have been able to pull the aircraft out of its nose dive. Chapman noted that even if the elevator had remained attached, it may not have been effective at the speeds involved.
Minutes before the crash, co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras told air traffic controllers that ice was accumulating on the plane and that severe turbulence had thrown it up and down by more than 700 feet. She said 'We're going to die!' before the jet hit the ground. One of the two crew members was Jeff Gregory, 55, from the Philadelphia suburbs. Weather will be a key focus of the investigation.
How it is being reported
- Pilot of Learjet had no chance to save doomed planeThe discovery of tail parts far from the site where a private plane crashed show the pilot would not have been able to pull the Learjet out of its nose dive.Perth Now · 3 Nov, 21:01
- Pilot of Learjet had no chance to save doomed planeThe discovery of tail parts far from the site where a private plane crashed show the pilot would not have been able to pull the Learjet out of its nose dive.The West Australian · 3 Nov, 21:01
In this story: Jeff Gregory · Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras · National Transportation Safety Board · Tom Chapman · South Florida · West Palm Beach · Greenacres
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
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