Fiery Florida crash kills 9: 20,000 feet per minute falling before impact, Jalopnik reports
Mayday before the crash
The Learjet departed Austin, Texas, for the Bahamas and crashed in the Palm Beach County community of Green Acres, near West Palm Beach. The co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, reported icing conditions and moderate turbulence shortly before the crash.
Air traffic control approved a request to climb to 37,000 feet. The aircraft then descended rapidly as Filgueiras told controllers the plane was descending and issued a Mayday call.
Investigation and descent figures
The NTSB said the investigation is at an early stage and collecting wreckage could take several days. Officials are considering weather as a major factor and expect to provide more information in the coming days.
CBS News reported that the plane fell at 32,000 feet per minute, but the NTSB said the figures had not been determined or confirmed. The headline’s 20,000-feet-per-minute figure is also not established in the account.
Debris and witness accounts
Investigators described a debris field about half a mile by four-tenths of a mile, which could be larger because the plane may have broken apart before impact. They asked residents not to move debris and to contact the NTSB or local authorities.
Dashcam videos captured the aircraft falling and the moment of impact. Stephanie Platts, who lives in a neighboring mobile home community, told The New York Times the crash sounded like a car crash; debris also set fire to her home.
Fatalities and identification
Filgueiras, a Boca Raton resident, had 1,300 hours of flying time and earned her pilot’s license while still in high school. She made the final emergency calls, but officials had not established who was controlling the jet when it crashed.
The account first says all nine people aboard died, then describes the nine fatalities as passengers while also saying another pilot was on the flight. It also says a person near the scene may have been injured, but officials had not confirmed an injury.
Key points
- A Learjet 60 crashed in Green Acres, Florida, killing nine people.
- The co-pilot reported icing and moderate turbulence before sending a Mayday call.
- The NTSB has not confirmed reported figures for the plane’s descent rate.
- Investigators asked residents to leave any wreckage in place and report it.