Aviation expert shares possible cause of private jet nosediving into ground killing nine on board
An aviation expert has shared how the pilot may have 'lost control' of a private aircraft which rapidly nosedived out of the sky and exploded, killing nine people.
Nine people onboard the private plane were killed instantly on Sunday (1 November) following the major incident in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The Learjet 60 had crashed in the middle of the road at around 12.50pm local time and was around eight miles away from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
According to air traffic control recordings, a crew member had noted 'manageable' ice on the plane and 'moderate turbulence', with an outside air temperature of -47C before the sudden descent.
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All of those who were travelling on the business jet from Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas were killed, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, as he spoke of the 'horrific tragedy'.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who have been approached for comment by LADbible.
However, harrowing traffic control recordings of the final moments on board, along with flight data have revealed critical details about what may have happened.
It is suspected it could have been a result of severe weather, heavy icing on the wings or a mechanical failure which caused the fatal dive.
FlightRadar24 lists the route from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. And, the path shows the aircraft crossing the Gulf before entering Florida near Naples.
It then continued northeast across the state, according to data, and then curved south over Palm Beach County before the descent.
DeWitt Ingram, a Learjet type-rated captain and founder and president of Par-Avion Group Aviation Consulting, has reviewed flight-tracking information of the final moments and shared the possible cause.
He said the aircraft descended from approximately 35,000 feet to the ground in about one minute, and explained how thunderstorms could have exposed the aircraft to powerful air currents and severe turbulence, causing a loss of control.
“What we saw today is a jet coming out of high altitude very quickly,” he told CBS12 News. “If the pilot flew into the tops of one of the thunderstorms, in that very rough air, he could have damaged the airplane to the point where he lost control."
He went on to explain that an 'uncontrolled descent' could have resulted in an increase to speed, putting excessive stress on the aircraft. Despite this, weather-related damage has still not been established, with investigations ongoing.
Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the plane involved was a private aircraft but that he could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.
The plane was heading east at 35,000ft when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to climb 2,000ft.
Moments later, the plane then entered the steep dive, before the pilot then declared an emergency and issued distress calls.
Anthony Blackmon, a local resident who was 500 feet from the crash site when the plane went down, told NBC: "Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire, even the road was on fire."
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson told LADbible Group: “A Learjet 60 crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, around 12:50 p.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 1. Nine people were on board.
“The aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
“The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates.”
Topics: US News
James Holt