Investigators say jet may have broken apart before Florida crash that killed nine

A federal investigator said Monday there are signs that a private business jet began coming apart in the air before it crashed into a mobile home community in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard, 6abc Action News reported.

"We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact," National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said at a news conference, according to 6abc. He added that pieces of the plane may turn up some distance from where it hit the ground.

The Learjet 60 went down in Greenacres, roughly 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach, shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday. It had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas, WHYY reported, citing the Federal Aviation Administration. The Philadelphia Inquirer, publishing a New York Times report, said the destination was North Eleuthera Airport.

WHYY reported that the jet was registered to a limited liability company based in Wilmington, Delaware, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Air traffic control recordings described by the outlets show the pilot reporting ice on the aircraft and moderate turbulence while flying east at 35,000 feet, then asking to climb 2,000 feet higher. Soon after, the pilot declared a mayday as the jet dropped rapidly. WHYY reported, citing flight tracking data, that the descent reached as much as 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the plane past its design limits. The pilot told controllers the plane was going to crash.

Video recorded by passersby showed the jet banking hard to the right before striking the ground and exploding, leaving a crater beside a road. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described it as looking "like a missile going down," according to 6abc and the Inquirer.

Officials said no one on the ground was hurt, the outlets reported. Residents told reporters that burning debris struck homes and set at least one on fire. Accounts of the evacuation differed in scope: the Inquirer reported that about 600 residents were being moved out, while 6abc reported that County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said about 77 mobile homes were in the affected area and their occupants had gone to a shelter. Flores said the county had no timeline for when residents could return, 6abc reported.

Authorities have not publicly released the names of those killed. 6abc reported that one of the pilots, a 20-year-old woman, was identified by her stepfather, and that her license allowed her to fly that Learjet model but not to serve as the pilot in command.

The NTSB is leading the investigation with help from the FAA. No cause has been determined. Aviation experts quoted by the Inquirer said the rapid loss of altitude and the pilot's mention of ice were notable, noting that severe icing can cause an aircraft to stall.

Compiled by True News from reporting by 6abc Action News, WHYY, The Philadelphia Inquirer and CBS Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/700