Crash debris: Learjet tail component found miles from Florida impact site

Investigator Tom Chapman of the National Transportation Safety Board announced on Tuesday that most of the left elevator from the crashed Learjet was discovered in three separate pieces. The components were located between 1.3 miles and 3.8 miles from the crash site in Greenacres, Florida, near West Palm Beach. This finding confirms that the aircraft was breaking apart before it struck the ground on Sunday afternoon.

The left elevator is a tail section responsible for controlling the pitch of the plane. Chapman stated that without this part intact, the pilot would have been unable to pull the jet out of its steep dive. He noted that at the speeds involved, the elevator might not have been effective even if it had remained attached. Nevertheless, Chapman called the discovery a very important piece of evidence that will guide future lines of inquiry.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press that the detached pieces were likely a result of the nosedive rather than the cause. He explained that the short distance from the impact point suggests the parts fell off at a lower altitude. If they had separated at a higher elevation, the debris would have traveled much farther from the crash site.

The Learjet 60 departed from Austin, Texas, and was en route to the Bahamas. All nine people aboard were killed. The victims included technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children. The crew included 55-year-old Jeff Gregory, a resident of the Philadelphia suburbs, and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.

Gregory was a longtime aviator and a devout Christian. Friends believe he was reciting the Lord’s Prayer during the final radio transmissions. Thomas Noetzel, director of operations for the operator Upper Jets, launched an online fundraiser to support Gregory’s family. Noetzel described Gregory as a devoted and faithful man who loved flying. Walter Noetzel, Thomas’s father, also posted a tribute on Facebook.

Co-pilot Filgueiras sent a text message about ten minutes before the impact. She wrote to her boyfriend, "I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice." In the final two minutes of the flight, her communications shifted from calm updates to urgent alerts. She reported that ice was accumulating and that turbulence had caused the plane to move up and down by more than 700 feet.

The jet hit the ground with enough force to create a crater before catching fire. Approximately 600 nearby residents remain displaced from their homes. One person on the ground was reported injured. Investigators have been collecting dashcam video and speaking with witnesses. They plan to access the crater on Wednesday to retrieve critical components. Chapman reasserted on Tuesday that weather conditions remain a primary focus of the investigation.

A preliminary NTSB report is expected in about one month. The agency anticipates it will take more than a year to determine the probable cause of the crash.