Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a Learjet 60 that crashed in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 1, killing all nine people on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Monday that the device was found at the primary crash site.
The aircraft plummeted into a South Florida neighborhood. The recovery of the “black box” helps investigators find out why the Bahamas-bound jet suddenly descended at a high rate of speed.
The crash occurred near Military Trail in Greenacres. It killed two crew members and seven passengers.
Investigators Examine Aircraft Damage
Investigators identified structural damage that suggests the aircraft may have broken apart mid-air.
The elevator controls the up and down pitch of the aircraft. Its separation is a focus for the probe.
The NTSB recovered pieces from both engines and the wings. They also found the flight deck and sections of the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.
Investigators found ailerons and flap track assemblies. Some of these parts went to NTSB laboratories in Washington, D.C., for closer inspection.
The Final Minutes of Flight
The flight began in Austin and headed toward the Bahamas.
One pilot told air traffic control that ice was forming on the plane. He said the ice was manageable. He also said turbulence caused the craft to move up and down by about 700 feet.
The final sequence of events unfolded rapidly on the afternoon of November 1. Communications with Air Traffic Control captured these moments:
“Holy f—, we're out of time!” the flight crew could be heard saying, told Fox News.
NTSB investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 60 that crashed on Nov. 1 near Greenacres, Florida. The CVR was located at the site of initial impact. The CVR is being evaluated in the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D. C. The… pic.twitter.com/F6SO4SEhW6
- 12:32 p.m.: The flight crew asked to proceed directly toward the Bahamas. Air Traffic Control approved the route. They did so despite warnings about moderate-to-extreme precipitation and poor weather conditions for the turn.
- 12:48 p.m.: The Learjet climbed to 35,450 feet. This was below the approved altitude of 37,000 feet. The plane then began a rapid descent.
- Final descent: The aircraft plummeted at a rate of about 10,000 feet per minute. The plane experienced an overspeed warning and an abrupt, violent descent.
The crew issued a “mayday” call to controllers during the descent.
In one transmission, the crew warned, “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
The NTSB has completed its on-scene investigative activities for the Nov. 1 crash of a Learjet 60 near Greenacres, Florida, with the exception of the excavation of the impact site, which remains ongoing. The cleared areas include Green Acres Mobile Home Community, Reading Truck,…
Another transmission from the aircraft announced, “We are in an overspeed condition, descending…,” though the rest of that message was unintelligible.
Profiles of the Flight Crew
Captain Jeffrey Scott Gregory, 55, operated the aircraft. Copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was also on board.
Filgueiras had been flying since she was 12 years old, often flying with her father in his Beechcraft Bonanza. She earned her private pilot license at age 17 in October 2023 through a program funded by the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy. She was a senior at West Boca Raton High School.
Filgueiras’s father told CNN that she became an extraordinary pilot. He said that when she was starting out, she told him there was nothing else she wanted to do in her life besides flying.
Captain Jeff Gregory was the pilot of the aircraft.
Impact on the Greenacres Community
Aviation lawyer John Gagliano said it is uncertain if the device was damaged. The recorder is expected to provide insight into cockpit conversations not sent to air traffic control.
Gagliano said, “It’s more information, and more information is always good in an investigation.”
The crash affected the local Greenacres community. About 350 to 400 residents of the Green Acres Mobile Home Community were displaced.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said these residents are likely able to return to their homes this week.
If you have found or collected any debris from the crash site near Greenacres, please do not keep it or attempt to move, alter or dispose of it. We ask that you contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov to arrange its recovery. Please include a photo of the debris, if possible, in… https://t.co/Yj6yyVFqhC
Military Trail remains closed between 10th Avenue North and Cresthaven Boulevard. Officials said only one injury was reported on the ground.
Residents who cannot return home due to damage have temporary housing at the Greenacres Community Center.
The county’s Economic and Housing Development Department is offering funds for relief. The United Way of Palm Beach County also established a disaster relief fund to help residents affected by the crash and recent widespread flooding.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the event as a “cataclysmic plane crash.”
The NTSB expects to issue a preliminary report in the coming weeks. The determination of the probable cause may take up to two years.
Earlier coverage: Investigators Recover Cockpit Voice Recorder From Florida Jet Crash
