Tail of the Florida Learjet that crashed killing nine is found in three pieces nearly four miles from the crater
The tail section of Learjet 60 N722BD, whose co-pilot was heard screaming the jet was descending at 20,000 feet per minute in an overspeed condition before impact.Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras (left), the co-pilot, pictured with pilot Jeff Gregory, whose final recorded words were the Lord's Prayer as the Learjet plunged towards the ground.Dashcam footage of the Learjet 60's impact near West Palm Beach, as Transport Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash "a horrific tragedy.Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their children Emma and Charlie, who were among the nine killed; the crew had reported light icing and requested clearance to climb to 37,000 feet before issuing a mayday call less than 30 seconds later.
NTSB member Tom Chapman confirmed the Learjet 60's left elevator — the tail surface controlling the aircraft's up-and-down pitch — was found in three fragments between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the Palm Beach County crater. Chapman called it a "very important piece of evidence" but could not confirm whether the part separated before or during the nosedive. Investigators hope to begin searching the impact crater itself on Wednesday, delayed by water and debris from severe thunderstorms.
Co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, was heard screaming the plane was "descending 20,000 feet per minute" in her final transmission before impact.
Even with the elevator intact, Chapman said he doubted it would have saved the aircraft given its extreme speed during the plunge.
The victims included pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, a young family of four from Austin, and three other passengers; Filgueiras's stepfather said: 'Our daughter is down there, under the ground with that airplane.'
