Florida Plane Crash Probe Points To Possible Midair Breakup As Investigators Examine Wreckage

A Learjet 60 carrying nine people may have started breaking apart midair before crashing into a residential area in South Florida, killing everyone aboard, federal investigators said. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is examining icing, turbulence, thunderstorms and possible mechanical problems to determine what caused Sunday's disaster in Greenacres, near West Palm Beach.

The aircraft, operated by Aurora Aviation under the name Upper Jets, departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas at around 10:37 am local time. It was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas with two crew members and seven passengers.

According to air traffic control recordings, the crew reported light ice accumulation and moderate turbulence at around 35,000 feet. The pilots requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet, but the situation deteriorated within seconds. The aircraft entered a rapid descent, with the crew declaring an emergency and reporting descent rates of up to 20,000 feet per minute. The final transmission included the words, "We're going to crash into the ground."

NTSB member Tom Chapman said investigators had found evidence of an in-flight breakup, although the extent and cause remain unknown. Heavy rain has filled the impact crater, making wreckage recovery difficult. Investigators are also trying to establish whether the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder was still aboard.

Weather is a major focus. Thunderstorms with cloud tops reaching 45,000 feet had been reported in the region. Investigators are examining conditions at the aircraft's cruising altitude rather than assuming the plane flew directly through a storm.

All nine victims have been identified by relatives. They included pilot Jeff Gregory, co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, family nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

Filgueiras earned her pilot's licence at 17 and was qualified to fly the Learjet model, but not to command the flight.

The crash also displaced an estimated 400 to 600 residents from a nearby mobile home community. Debris reportedly spread across the neighbourhood, while a damaged water main and continuing recovery work complicated access to homes. Authorities have not provided a definite timeline for residents to return.

The NTSB investigation is continuing, and officials have not determined the cause of the crash.