Overview
- A Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County on Sunday killed nine people and left a cratered wreckage field that investigators have not yet fully entered.
- NTSB teams recovered the left elevator, a tail control surface, in three fragments scattered roughly 2–6 kilometers from the main impact, confirming parts separated in flight.
- Investigators are examining whether the elevator detached before the aircraft began its final descent or broke off from extreme forces during the plunge and are reviewing maintenance and crew records.
- Cockpit communications captured the crew reporting icing and turbulence, requesting altitude changes and issuing an emergency message before the crash, which officials say is a key line of inquiry.
- Separately, a Robinson R44 photography helicopter crashed in Biscayne Bay on Wednesday, killing one and injuring two, and the NTSB, FAA and Coast Guard are investigating with weather noted as a factor.