Investigators find signs Learjet broke apart before fatal Greenacres crash

A Learjet that crashed in Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people aboard, showed signs of breaking apart before reaching the ground, a federal investigator said Monday, November 2. The aircraft plunged steeply into a roadway and exploded, leaving a crater and scattered wreckage about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said evidence suggested some pieces separated from the aircraft during flight. Investigators could therefore discover wreckage well beyond the impact area. Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigator, said the plane might have lost critical tail components during turbulence or its descent, potentially leaving the crew unable to control it.

Weather is among the investigation's main early priorities, alongside the crew's actions and possible mechanical failures. Heavy rain hit the region Sunday, controllers alerted the pilots to approaching storms, and the FAA had issued a weather warning. Chapman said investigators must establish conditions at 35,000 feet, where the aircraft was flying when the crew began reporting trouble.

According to recordings captured by LiveATC.net, co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras reported ice buildup and turbulence that was shifting the plane's altitude by as much as 700 feet. She initially described the icing as manageable and requested permission to climb 2,000 feet. An emergency declaration followed as the jet began descending rapidly, with reported descent rates reaching 20,000 feet per minute. Video showed the aircraft banking sharply right before impact.

AccuWeather said some storm clouds extended to 45,000 feet, complicating efforts to fly above them. Retired airline pilot John Cox, now chief executive of Safety Operating Systems, said the reported combination of substantial turbulence and liquid precipitation freezing on the aircraft at minus 47 degrees Celsius was especially concerning. He questioned why the flight entered the storm line at that altitude.

The jet departed Austin, Texas, and had flown for nearly two hours and 45 minutes before crashing, Chapman said. Relatives identified the victims as including technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, their two young children and Filgueiras, 20, who made the final radio calls. Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed her daughter's involvement to the New York Post and New York Times. The other pilot was not immediately identified.

Local reports from 2023 said Filgueiras earned her pilot's license at 17 while attending West Boca Raton Community High School. Her license carried a rating for the Learjet model involved, but did not authorize her to command the flight. Chapman said he was unaware of a history of similar problems involving these aircraft.

Investigators hope to find the cockpit voice recorder that Chapman said was originally installed in the plane. Rainwater filling the impact crater is hindering recovery. NTSB investigator Timothy Monville said retrieving major wreckage from the roadway would be the largest obstacle in an operation expected to take several days.

About 600 nearby residents remained displaced, and a shelter was established for people from nearly 80 mobile homes. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said officials had no timetable for their return while investigators searched for evidence. Only one ground injury was reported: a driver near the crash suffered leg wounds whose severity investigators had not established.