Officials said there may have been “some breakup” of the Learjet 60 before it crashed Sunday afternoon in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board.The aircraft departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera, Bahamas, the National Transportation Safety Board said at a Monday news conference.
The plane crashed around 12:50 p.m.Sunday near the residential neighborhood of Cresthaven in Florida.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.“We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact.
We’re still seeking to determine that,” NTSB member Tom Chapman said.Video of the crash was captured on a car’s dashcam and showed the jet plummeting into the road at a high speed, causing a fiery explosion.
The crash left a large hole in the ground.Seven passengers and two crew members were on the jet.
The co-pilot was identified by her family as Nathalia Filgueiras, 20.Her sister Giulia Filgueiras said Nathalia learned to fly from her father, who is a pilot.
“Flying was her biggest passion,” Giulia Filgueiras said.“That was her dream to become a pilot since she was very young.”In distressing air traffic control audio, a woman onboard the plane is heard saying, “Mayday, mayday.
We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.”She later yells and says the jet was descending at 20,000 feet per minute.“We’re gonna crash into the ground 722 Bravo Delta,” she says, followed by a scream.
Police work near the scene of a plane crash in Greenacres, Fla., Monday, Nov.2, 2026.Rebecca Blackwell / APAbout two minutes before the audio, the woman reported “light, clear ice” but said it was “manageable” and described “moderate turbulence.” She later said, “We’re picking up precipitation,” and asked to climb in altitude.
Chapman said the request to climb was approved by Air Traffic Control.For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBERSWelcome to the gas price...