The Learjet plane's search for a better route turned into complete panic within seconds. At approximately 12:50 local time on Sunday, Learjet pilot Jeff Gregory requested permission from air traffic control to change altitude due to stormy weather creating turbulence with icing. The pilot stated that the crew kept the icing on the jet under control and that they were under rain. However, everything changed before the expected permission from air traffic control arrived.
The plane departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to the Bahamas on Sunday morning. During the Learjet's journey, a significant storm system that could produce strong updrafts, heavy rainfall and icy conditions was passing over southern Florida. As the plane headed toward the east coast of Florida, a storm along its route was getting worse.
LEARJET'S LAST MOMENTS: 'WE WILL CRASH TO THE GROUND'
According to air traffic records, the pilot shouted from the cockpit of the falling Learjet, "Emergency, emergency, we are descending 10 thousand feet per minute"; his voice was clearly worried. The plane suddenly stopped ascending and went into a nose dive, falling faster and faster every second.
Gregory, in contact with air traffic control, screamed, "Declare an emergency. We are descending at 20,000 feet per minute."
Gregory stated that the plane was tilted 60 degrees and asked for help from the traffic controller:
"We're going to crash. Oh my god, we're out of time."
Videos of the moment of the accident showed the private jet crashing on a main road in Palm Beach County. The plane turned into a fireball and exploded, killing all 9 people on board and injuring a driver near the crash site. Due to the impact, a large crater was formed on the road.
THE AIRPLANE WAS SHARP
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) noted that the plane broke into pieces as it fell towards the ground, leaving a debris field about 1 kilometer long between sports fields, businesses and homes. NTSB member Thomas Chapman stated that weather conditions were the main focus of the investigation. The investigation will examine how pilots and air traffic controllers determined the plane's flight path.
"We are trying to determine concrete details about how the incident happened. Who knew what and when, what actions were taken and were these actions correct? These will be investigated," Chapman said.
The pilot said the crew had the icing under control but asked for permission to ascend. Shortly after, the plane began to descend rapidly and the pilot called for emergency help. The plane crashed about a minute later.
THE IDENTITIES OF THE DEATHS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED
The plane, which took off from Austin, Texas, was carrying 7 passengers and 2 crew members. 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, who was in the cockpit, also died in the accident. Family members said the passengers were tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson from Austin, Texas, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their two children, ages 4 and 2. The family was flying with the children's babysitter, Anita Maria Cetina, and their friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
The aircraft involved in the accident (Learjet 60) was operated by Aurora Aviation, operating under the name Upper Jets. An Aurora Aviation representative said the company is cooperating with the investigation.
THE STORM MAY HAVE PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE ACCIDENT
Strong updrafts over southern Florida on Sunday had developed into a significant storm system that could bring heavy rainfall and icy conditions. The storm consisted of "cumulonimbus" clouds, some of whose cells reached relatively high density, according to aviation data provider AirNav Systems. The storm cell moved from west to east, intensifying significantly in the area near where the aircraft passed. The data shows moderate turbulence as well as heavy icing in the area during the flight.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), US plane crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti said, "The plane appeared to have entered a very strong and isolated storm that was very high above where it was flying. Typically, these business jets can fly over storms. However, in this case, the weather conditions had become so strong that the storm was reaching very high altitudes."
'AN EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION'
This exposed the plane to icing, hail and turbulence. Experts said icing is rare at such high altitudes, and rapid accumulation of ice on the wings and tail caused by upward flowing air can lead to loss of aircraft aerodynamic lift and control.
"An airplane can accumulate ice very quickly under these conditions. But if you're on an airplane, especially a jet, and you see icing like that, it's indicative of a very unusual and very, very dangerous situation," said John Cox, an aviation safety consultant and former airline pilots union official.
