Officials reveal main piece of Learjet separated from plane before impact in major update on investigation
A main piece of the Learjet 60 separated from the aircraft before impact, it has been revealed in a press conference.
"Yesterday, the majority of the aircraft’s left elevator was located in three pieces in a range of 1.3-3.8 miles away from the accident site," National Transportation Safety Board Member Tom Chapman said at a briefing on the November 1 Learjet 60 crash in Palm Beach, Florida.
Explaining what an elevator is, Chapman told the media that it was 'located on the tail, which controls the up and down pitch of the aircraft.'
"Those items are being retained for analysis," he added.
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"If a member of the community comes across items that might be part of the aircraft’s wreckage, please don’t touch them or move them. Please contact local authorities or the NTSB and we will take appropriate action," Chapman pleaded.
Chapman then revealed that NTSB is working with local public works team to begin water removal from the impact crater, which they believe will begin tomorrow, November 4.
Witnesses have already come forward with 'helpful' pieces of information, Chapman said, including dashcam footage and multiple eyewitness accounts.
"These will help us better understand the condition of the aircraft and circumstances of the crash," he told press.
The Transportation Disaster Assistance (TDA) are continuing to work with family members and displaced local residents.
Chapman revealed that Tuesday's briefing would be the final onsite briefing, and any additional updates would be posted on the NTSB website.
All nine people on board the business jet, including the pilot and co-pilot, were killed when it crashed in a residential district of Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday (November 1).
The pilot was Jeff Gregory, 55, and the co-pilot was Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20.
The passengers were businessman Adam Robinson, 45, and his wife, ceramicist Helen Sharp, 40; their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two; the family’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina; and a couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
The Learjet 60 came down in Palm Beach County at approximately 12:50pm EST, and had been traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
Minutes before the crash, the pilot had reported ice building up on the jet, along with turbulence that was causing it to shift by as much as 700 feet.
The aircraft is said to have plunged approximately 35,000 feet in just over a minute before bursting into flames.
Kiesha Dosanjh
