In short
- All nine people on board a Learjet 60 died when the aircraft crashed on Military Trail in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday.
- The jet was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas and came down about nine miles (14 km) from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
- The crew reported ice and moderate turbulence and requested clearance to climb to 37,000 feet before issuing a mayday call.
- NTSB member Tom Chapman said the plane began to descend less than 30 seconds after the crew’s request to climb.
- One man on the ground suffered a leg injury, and debris was scattered across sports fields, businesses and homes near the crash site.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether a Learjet 60 broke apart before it hit the ground in Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, and whether ice and turbulence were factors. The jet was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.
What is the NTSB examining?
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Monday it would investigate whether parts of the Learjet 60 broke off before the aircraft nose-dived and exploded, and to what extent ice and turbulence contributed. NTSB member Tom Chapman said investigators are also trying to establish whether a cockpit voice recorder was on board and whether it can be recovered. The board is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, representatives from Learjet, meteorologists and air traffic control experts.
What did the crew report before the crash?
After departing Austin, the crew told air traffic control they were encountering ice and moderate turbulence and asked to climb higher: “We are picking up precipitation, requesting to climb to 37,000 feet if able.” Tom Chapman said that less than 30 seconds later the plane began to descend and the crew issued a mayday call, after which the transmission became unintelligible. Air traffic control audio records a crew member declaring an overspeed condition and a descent of 20,000ft per minute; about 35 seconds after the mayday, the last remark from the cockpit appears to be: “We’re out of time.”
Where did the jet come down?
The aircraft crashed on Military Trail, a six-lane road lined with businesses and restaurants in Palm Beach County, about nine miles (14 km) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said one man on the ground suffered a leg injury. Officials told a news conference that debris was scattered across sports fields, businesses and homes, which they said was possible evidence the plane broke up before it hit the ground. Images from the scene showed a large fiery crater in the middle of the roadway. Trump was at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday morning and departed from a nearby airport on Air Force One about an hour before the crash.
Who was on board?
All nine people on board died. The seven passengers were identified in a joint statement from their families as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma and Charlie, and Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina. Media reports named the pilot as Jeffery Gregory and the copilot as Nathalia Filgueiras, who earned her pilot’s licence when she was 17.
How long will the investigation take?
The NTSB said ice and turbulence were factors in the crash, but that determining the probable cause will be a “lengthy investigatory process”. Thunderstorms had been reported in the area at the time. Mass-casualty transport accidents can take months to reconstruct: in Spain, the transport minister resigned after a train crash killed 69 people. Timothy Monville, an air safety investigator with the safety board, said recovering the wreckage from the crater in the roadway would be a “daunting challenge”. Flight analysis indicates the jet was plummeting hundreds of feet per second before it crashed.
Frequently asked questions
How many people died in the Florida Learjet crash?
All nine people on board died when the Learjet 60 crashed on Military Trail in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday. Seven were passengers, and the other two were the pilot and copilot.
What caused the Learjet 60 crash in Florida?
The NTSB has not determined a probable cause. The board said ice and turbulence were factors and is examining whether parts of the aircraft broke off before it nose-dived.
Was there a cockpit voice recorder on the crashed jet?
NTSB member Tom Chapman said investigators are trying to find out whether a cockpit voice recorder was on board at the time of the crash and whether it can be recovered.
Where exactly did the plane crash?
The jet came down on Military Trail, a six-lane road lined with businesses and restaurants, about nine miles (14 km) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
