A private Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach, Florida, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it struck the ground in a near-vertical, nose-down descent and caught fire. Authorities said there were no deaths or injuries on the ground.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is investigating the crash, said it found most of the aircraft’s left elevator, the component controlling the nose’s up-and-down movement, in three pieces. NTSB member Tom Chapman said the fragments were located about 2 to 6 kilometres from the crash site. Their location led investigators to conclude that they had separated from the aircraft before it hit the ground.
Investigators are examining whether the loss of the left elevator caused the aircraft to enter a nose-down dive, or whether forces generated during the dive caused the component to detach. Chapman said the part may not have been functioning effectively at the speed the aircraft had reached. He described the discovery as “very important evidence in guiding us toward other issues we need to investigate.”
The NTSB confirmed that, after departing Austin, the crew told air traffic control they had encountered icing and moderate turbulence. The crew said: “We are encountering precipitation and, if possible, would like to climb to 37,000 feet.” Chapman said the aircraft began descending less than 30 seconds after that message, the crew issued a distress call, and subsequent radio transmissions became unintelligible.
The agency said thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time of the crash and that it would investigate the possible role of weather conditions. It is also seeking to determine whether the aircraft had a cockpit voice recorder and, if so, whether it can be recovered. The NTSB is working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Learjet representatives, meteorologists and air traffic control specialists. It said determining the probable cause of the crash would require a lengthy investigation.
