Plane crash. Photo: Shutterstock The investigation into the Learjet 60 crash in Florida is taking another turn. At a briefing held Monday, November 2, by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a board member said investigators are identifying signs in the plane's remains that it began to break apart during the flight, before it hit the ground.
The plane, registration number N722BD, crashed Sunday in the Palm Beach area of Florida, killing all nine people on board. The plane was en route from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.
The new development adds to information already reported by the media about the plane's communications with air traffic controllers. Shortly before the crash, the plane's crew reported severe weather conditions, precipitation, and turbulence in the air at an altitude of about 35,000 feet.
The pilots attempted to climb to 37,000 feet in an attempt to deal with the situation, but shortly after, the crew reported an abnormal loss of altitude, initially at a rate of about 10,000 feet per minute, and later an overspeed and descent rate reaching about 20,000 feet per minute.
Flight tracking data later showed an extremely sharp dive, with the descent rate at one point exceeding 32,000 feet per minute.
At this stage, it has not been determined what caused the loss of control of the aircraft, and investigators are still examining weather conditions, the possibility of ice accumulation, the condition of the aircraft, and the circumstances that led to the abnormal dive.
The NTSB notes that the possibility of a mid-air breakup is, at this stage, an investigation direction and not a final conclusion.