Learjet crash in Florida kills nine; tail part found miles from the crater

The crash

On Sunday, 1 November, a Learjet 60 left Austin, Texas, at around 10:37 a.m. bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. At around 12:50 p.m. local time it came down nose-first at the entrance of a mobile home park in Palm Beach County, Florida, leaving a large crater in the roadway and a fireball on the road. Investigators say all nine people on board died, seven passengers and two crew members. Relatives identified the passengers as a 44-year-old Austin tech entrepreneur, his wife, a ceramicist, their two young children, a couple who were friends of the family, and the family's nanny. The pilot, 55, was identified by his former employer, East Coast Jets, a Pennsylvania-based charter company, and the co-pilot was a 20-year-old woman.

Tail part found far from the impact

Investigators recovered most of the left elevator, the tail control surface that governs whether the nose points up or down, in three pieces on Monday, 2 November. The pieces lay between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crater, a distance that NTSB board member Tom Chapman said indicated the part had separated in flight. Chapman told a news conference in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, 3 November, that the wreckage had also been badly damaged by the force of the impact.

Knowing that it was lost is a very important piece of evidence in terms of pointing us towards other things to investigate.

Investigators have not determined whether losing the elevator contributed to the loss of control or whether forces acting on the aircraft caused it to separate. Chapman said the part may not have been effective at the speed the jet was travelling. The investigation remains at an early stage.

Flight into the storm

Air traffic control audio captured a voice in the cockpit reporting moderate turbulence and that the crew was managing ice, followed by a call that the aircraft was picking up precipitation and needed to climb. Co-pilot transmissions described a descent of 8,000 feet per minute, then 10,000, before an emergency was declared for an overspeed condition descending at 20,000 feet per minute. Severe thunderstorms were over Palm Beach County that Sunday afternoon, and federal investigators are examining whether weather played a role. Justin Crabbe, chief of the charter firm Jettly, whose platform listed the jet, told the New York Post that he suspects human error and that the crew chose to fly into the storm. He said the aircraft probably stalled after ice built up on its wings, and that the attempt to lift the nose may have made the stall worse. It remains unclear why the crew chose to fly through the storm.

Crater, evacuation and next steps

Much of the wreckage remains in the crater, which investigators have not been able to reach. They hope to gain access on Wednesday, 4 November, once public works crews finish clearing water and debris from the site. Crews pumped water from the crater on Monday as heavy rain fell, and the impact ruptured a central water main. Between 400 and 600 people were bused to a shelter at a community centre on Sunday, and by Monday about 40 remained there, most of them staying with friends or relatives. Two mobile homes stood only a few steps from the crash point, and debris struck their roofs, but neither was hit directly. Palm Beach County commissioner Joel Flores called it a 'miracle' that no one else died. One driver who had just left the area was treated for minor injuries after airbags deployed.

Chapman urged anyone who finds pieces that look like they belong to the aircraft to leave them alone and contact the NTSB or local authorities. Asked about the next phase, he said,

We don't know yet, so it's going to take some more analysis.