One missing clue that could help investigators determine cause of Florida Learjet crash that killed 9
It will likely take more than a year to determine the exact cause of the Learjet 60 that plummeted from the sky in Florida and killed nine people.
The business plane, which was heading to the Bahamas, crashed on Sunday 1 November at approximately 12.50pm local time after encountering a thunderstorm.
It slammed into the ground with such force it created a crater and shattered the aircraft – with parts being found up to 3.8 miles away from the site.
Dramatic videos from witnesses, and chilling radio transmissions, will provide important clues for investigators who are just at the beginning of determining exactly what happened.
“Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened, and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again,” said Tom Chapman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.
An NTSB team will spend days collecting every piece of the plane they can find surrounding the crash site. Investigators said Tuesday that pieces of a key part of the tail called the elevator that controls the angle of the nose were found more than a mile away from the main crater.
This supports the theory that the plane had started to break apart before impact.
Investigators are also searching for the Learjet’s cockpit voice recorder as it could provide useful details about what the pilots were talking about as they lost control of the plane after it encountered turbulence and ice started to build up on the wings.
“That will be very important data,” Chapman said. “Without it, our folks are very, very good. We’re still able to do some incredible detective work and determine how things transpired.”
The co-pilot told air traffic controllers that the plane was being thrown up and down more than 213 metres as she asked them for a better route through the area. It is not yet clear why the pilots hadn’t chosen to fly around the storms.
Torrential rains over the state in recent weeks are making the investigation even more difficult. The crater was filling with rainwater that likely left some pieces of the plane submerged, and a utility pole had to be removed.
The initial NTSB investigation will take around a month. During this time, experts will develop a preliminary report describing what happened.
This is no easy feat as a fire caused from the crash destroyed much of the plane.
Investigators will be trying to clarify whether pilots knew that the storm was happening, and what the plane’s weather radar showed.
