Investigators are beginning a lengthy probe into a Learjet crash in Florida that killed all nine people aboard after the Bahamas-bound jet encountered a thunderstorm. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, according to PBS NewsHour headlines.
The flight was operated by Upper Jets and departed from Austin, Texas, according to PBS NewsHour headlines. The crash date is not given in the sources available for this report.
According to PBS NewsHour headlines, pieces of the elevator, a key part of the tail that controls pitch, were found more than a mile from the main crater. Investigators said this confirms the plane began to break apart before impact. CBS News US also reported that parts of the plane were found miles from where it hit the ground, according to officials. That source was available only as a headline and short excerpt, so its account of the debris distance could not be checked against full reporting.
PBS NewsHour headlines reported that the co-pilot told air traffic controllers the plane was being thrown up and down more than 700 feet and asked for a better route through the area. The plane descended from its cruising altitude of 41,000 feet as it approached the storms, according to the same source. Retired airline pilot John Cox said he did not understand the descent.
The sources do not say why the pilots did not fly around the storms or whether they knew the storm cell was there. The cockpit voice recorder has not been found, and the cause of the crash is unknown. No response from Upper Jets is included in the sources.
Torrential rain over the past week filled the crater with water, possibly concealing wreckage. A utility pole also had to be removed, which hindered investigators.
The NTSB expects to publish a preliminary factual report about 30 days after the crash, without analysis or cause. A final report with probable causes typically takes 12 to 18 months. The NTSB can recommend safety changes but cannot require them. The FAA, industry and Congress decide whether to adopt them, and the NTSB says those bodies have historically ignored its recommendations.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.