Investigators find Florida Learjet's tail elevator nearly four miles from the crash site, suggesting the jet broke apart before impact
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.
The Learjet 60's left elevator — the tail control surface governing the aircraft's nose pitch — was recovered in three pieces spread across 1.3 to 3.8 miles from the Palm Beach County crater, strongly suggesting the jet began breaking apart mid-flight. NTSB member Tom Chapman confirmed the discovery was a "very important piece of evidence" but cautioned that investigators still cannot confirm whether the component separated before or during the plunge. The aircraft, travelling from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas, hit the ground nose-first at around 20,000 feet per minute after encountering severe thunderstorms and ice build-up on the wings.
Debris tore through the roof and landed in the kitchen of local resident Ana Escobar, whose home sits less than a mile from the main crater.
Investigators are urgently searching for the cockpit voice recorder, with Chapman warning that without it the probe — expected to take over a year — becomes significantly harder.
NTSB has found no evidence of any connection to Trump's nearby Mar-a-Lago resort, the agency confirmed today, dismissing early speculation.
