NTSB says pieces from jet that crashed in Palm Beach County were found miles away from impact site

Debris points to breakup

NTSB member Tom Chapman said Tuesday that investigators found a section of the aircraft’s tail nearly four miles from the impact crater. Other parts were recovered up to 3.8 miles from the site.

The tail’s elevator had split into three pieces, Chapman said. He noted that without an intact elevator, the pilots could not have pulled the Learjet out of its dive, though he questioned whether it could have worked at the aircraft’s speed.

Warnings before the crash

Co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras told air traffic controllers that ice was building up on the aircraft. She also reported severe turbulence that had moved the jet up and down by more than 700 feet, then declared “mayday.” Audio recordings capture Filgueiras describing a rapid descent as the flight continued toward the ground. The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed and burst into flames.

Nine people identified

The passengers who died were Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, an Austin couple, and their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. The other passengers were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina.

Family and friends identified the other pilot as Jeff Gregory, 55. Friends said they believe Gregory was the man heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer in the background as the aircraft went down.