Investigators say ice was 'certainly a factor' in the Florida jet crash that killed nine, though the co-pilot called it 'manageable'
Dashcam footage of the Learjet 60's impact near West Palm Beach, as Transport Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash "a horrific tragedy.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.Anita Maria Cetina (left), and Rachel Reed and Charmi Fehr, three of the nine people killed when the Learjet 60 plunged into a Palm Beach County road at up to 32,000 feet per minute.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.Aerial footage of crash devastation on Military Trail, Palm Beach, Florida, where investigators warn that recovering wreckage from the water-filled impact crater is the biggest obstacle to establishing whether the black box recorder was even on board.The crash left a crater in Military Trail, igniting a utility pole and scattering burning debris feet from passing cars and nearby homes in Greenacres, Palm Beach County.
Weather and structural failure are emerging as twin culprits after the NTSB confirmed the Learjet 60 showed signs of breaking apart midair before slamming into a Palm Beach County highway, killing all nine on board. The aircraft was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it entered a catastrophic dive exceeding 20,000 feet per minute, with Filgueiras's final transmission: 'We're out of time.'
NTSB's Tom Chapman warned investigators may find aircraft debris "some distance away" from the primary impact crater.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a pilot with more than 8,000 flight hours, publicly defended Filgueiras against online conspiracy theories blaming DEI and a missile strike, saying 'she was doing her job right to the end in a terrifying situation.'
Charter firm Upper Jets, which owned the Learjet 60, said it is cooperating with local, state and federal authorities investigating the crash.
