Mayday at 35,000 Feet : Nine dead as Learjet plunges into Florida neighbourhood: what we know

The Outsider's take

The Outsider/ 2 November 26

A private jet fell from 35,000 feet into a residential area of Palm Beach County on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. No one on the ground died.

The Learjet 60 left Austin, Texas, for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. At about 12:47 p.m. Eastern, the crew reported ice and moderate turbulence and asked to climb. Air traffic control approved. Less than 30 seconds later, the crew reported a descent, then radioed a mayday and an "overspeed" condition. Flight data put the descent at more than 20,000 feet per minute. The jet crashed around 12:50 p.m. near a mobile home park in the Greenacres area, leaving a crater and a fireball.

The pilots. The co-pilot was Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, from Palm Beach County. Her mother confirmed she was flying. In a 2023 TV interview, she said: "Some people think that it's weird that I can fly planes, but I can't drive a car." The NTSB has not named the pilot in command. It says it is too early to say what each pilot did during the emergency. Other victims have not been publicly identified.

On the ground. About 600 residents were evacuated. Debris hit at least one home, and power lines and water mains were damaged. Officials reported no deaths on the ground. One man leaving the area had a leg injury, and investigators plan to interview him.

The investigation. About 20 NTSB investigators are on site. Board member Tom Chapman said: "We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact." Investigators have not yet determined what separated or when, including whether part of the tail came off. They are checking whether weather played a role, including whether the jet flew through an active thunderstorm. They will also review what the crew and controllers knew and did, plus the jet's maintenance history. Maintenance records show a cockpit voice recorder was installed, but it is not yet known whether it survived. The NTSB does not name a probable cause at the scene. A preliminary report is expected within about 30 days.

Aviation experts have suggested icing or turbulence could have caused a stall. That is speculation until investigators say otherwise.