Overview
- The Learjet 60, which crashed on Sunday, November 1, plunged nearly vertically into a Palm Beach County neighborhood and killed all nine people aboard while creating a large crater.
- NTSB teams recovered most of the aircraft’s left elevator in three pieces found roughly 1.3 to 3.8 miles from the impact site, a distance that indicates parts separated before ground impact but does not establish cause.
- Crew audio and witness video show the pilots reported ice accumulation and moderate turbulence at about 35,000 feet and then declared mayday as the jet descended at rates around 20,000 to 22,000 feet per minute.
- Investigators are searching for the cockpit voice recorder and are analyzing flight data, maintenance records and recovered wreckage, with a preliminary NTSB report expected in the coming weeks and a full probe likely to take 12–18 months.
- The crash killed a family of four, their nanny, two friends and the two crew members, forced local evacuations and left recovery work hampered by heavy rains and a wide debris field that could shape future safety recommendations.