Overview
- A Learjet 60 that crashed into a Palm Beach County roadway on Nov. 1 killed all nine people aboard and scattered wreckage over a wide area.
- NTSB teams excavated the crater this week and recovered a portion of an engine after earlier recoveries of the left tail elevator in three pieces, one found nearly four miles from the impact.
- Debris found miles from the main site and the engine fragment raise the possibility that parts separated in flight, which would focus the probe on the sequence of failure rather than only the final impact.
- Investigators are closely examining weather and crew communications that reported icing and turbulence and noted nearby moderate precipitation, while a cockpit voice recorder has not been located.
- Families on the ground whose homes or businesses were damaged have begun hiring attorneys as the NTSB continues its methodical investigation with a preliminary factual report expected in about a month and a full probable-cause finding likely many months later.