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National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman stated during a Monday briefing that evidence pointed to an in-flight breakup of the Learjet 60 before it struck the ground in Greenacres Florida on November 1. The aircraft had been en route from Austin Texas to the Bahamas when the crew reported icing and moderate turbulence at 35 000 feet according to air traffic control recordings reviewed by investigators. Chapman added that debris could be scattered across nearby roads sports fields and homes complicating the recovery effort as heavy rain continued to fall on the site.
A joint statement from the victims’ families identified the passengers as technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson his wife Helen Sharp their children Emma aged four and Charlie aged two family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr and nanny Anita Maria Cetina. The pilots were named in multiple reports as captain Jeff Gregory aged 55 and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras who had earned her license while still in high school. The family statement described Robinson and Sharp as devoted parents whose children were the light of their lives while noting that Reed and Fehr were full of joy and adventure.
Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed the jet plummeting 27 000 feet in roughly one minute after the crew declared an emergency citing an overspeed condition and a descent rate that reached 22 000 feet per minute. Air traffic control audio captured a crew member shouting mayday before the final transmission we are going to crash into the ground and later we’re out of time approximately 35 seconds after the initial distress call. The National Transportation Safety Board has made weather conditions at altitude a central focus of its probe given the reports of ice and turbulence.
The jet impacted a multi-lane road near a mobile home park creating a deep crater that quickly filled with water and erupted in a fireball that sent thick black smoke into the sky. Palm Beach County officials reported only one minor injury on the ground yet approximately 600 nearby residents required evacuation with two emergency shelters opened to accommodate them. Video captured by dashcams and bystanders showed the aircraft descending nearly vertically before the explosion according to accounts shared with investigators.
Chapman noted that maintenance records confirmed a cockpit voice recorder had been installed on the aircraft although it remained unclear whether the device was still aboard at the time of the crash. The NTSB will also examine the actions of the crew and any potential mechanical issues with the Learjet 60 which according to aviation safety records maintained by the Aviation Safety Network marks the deadliest accident involving that model. Former NTSB investigator Jeff Guzzetti told reporters that a loss of key tail components in turbulence or during the dive could explain the missile-like descent observed in the final moments.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to the risks of high-altitude icing for business jets with the NTSB pledging a preliminary report within approximately 30 days. Recovery of major wreckage from the water-filled crater is expected to pose significant challenges in the coming days as additional rain is forecast through midweek. Investigators continue to gather debris and witness statements from the densely populated area west of West Palm Beach.
