Investigators find the tail of the Florida Learjet that killed nine nearly four miles away, showing it broke apart mid-air
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 left tail elevator — the mechanism controlling the jet's vertical pitch — was found in three pieces scattered between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crater, NTSB member Tom Chapman confirmed at a press briefing on Tuesday, telling reporters it was "a very important piece of evidence."
Investigators cannot yet confirm whether the tail broke off before the nosedive or was torn apart during the plunge at close to supersonic speed.
Co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, was heard screaming "we are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute" in her final radio transmission.
Investigators have reportedly ruled out any connection to the no-fly zone around Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, eight miles from the crash site.
