Overview
- A Learjet 60 bound for the Bahamas crashed in Cresthaven/Greenacres, Palm Beach County, on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard, including a family of four, their nanny, two friends, and the two pilots.
- NTSB board member Tom Chapman said the majority of the plane’s left elevator was recovered in three pieces about 1.3 to 3.8 miles from the impact, a finding investigators describe as significant but not yet definitive.
- Audio and ATC records reviewed by outlets captured the co‑pilot reporting ice accumulation and a mayday that said the jet was descending at roughly 20,000 feet per minute before impact.
- Investigators are combining debris‑field mapping, cockpit flight-data and voice recorders, metallurgical testing, maintenance logs and weather data to determine whether the elevator separated before the dive or broke off during impact.
- If tests show the component failed in flight, regulators and operators could face urgent questions about stabilizer icing, maintenance history, and inspection rules for similar Learjet models.