MAIN – Credit: Aki Kuusisto via StoryfulA dashcam captured the moment a private plane crashed next to a busy road in the Greenacres area of Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, November 1. The footage shows the aircraft nosediving and exploding on impact as traffic passed by on Military Trail, between 10th Avenue North and Cresthaven Boulevard. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Military Trail was closed to all traffic as authorities responded and investigated the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the crash involved a Learjet 60 carrying nine people that departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to local news outlet WFTV. (Image: Aki Kuusisto via Storyful / AP)
Investigators have discovered a crucial piece of evidence that may assist them in determining what triggered a private jet to plummet and erupt into flames, claiming the lives of everyone aboard. Nine people died in the crash and excavation operations have now been concluded by investigators.
It has now emerged that a recording device recovered could provide critical details in reconstructing the tragic incident. It may contain essential information regarding how the devastating event unfolded.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Monday that it had retrieved the cockpit voice recorder from the aircraft. “NTSB investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 60 that crashed on Nov. 1 near Greenacres, Florida,” the agency posted on X.
“The CVR was located at the site of initial impact. The CVR is being evaluated in the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
“The excavation work at the impact site has been completed.”
The private jet nosedived into a busy road before bursting into flames (Image: AP)
The private jet was travelling to the Bahamas from Texas on Sunday, November 1. It was at approximately 35,000 feet when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation.
The pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft commenced losing altitude at an alarming rate. The co-pilot, 20 year old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, issued an urgent mayday call to air traffic control via radio – but was powerless to prevent the aircraft from going down.
Her final moments were recorded in the harrowing transmission: “722 Bravo Delta, we’re descending 8000. Mayday, Mayday, we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!”.
“We are banking 60 degrees, we are going to die,” she screamed.
Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their two children (Image: Family Handout)
Pilot Jeff Gregory also perished in the disaster, alongside multi-millionaire technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their two young children Emma and Charlie. They were joined by friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr as well as nanny Anita Maria Apellido Cetina.
The recording equipment was discovered where the private aircraft plunged into a busy carriageway before erupting in flames just a few miles from US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Largo residence.
It remained unclear whether the recorder had sustained damage or if it was functioning initially, but it could contain crucial details about the tragic incident.
The device is undergoing examination at a laboratory in Washington, the NTSB confirmed. Authorities are hoping to retrieve communications between the pilots and air-traffic controllers before the jet’s sudden plunge.
Aviation safety specialist Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press that, judging from photographs of the remnant, the recorder’s orange-painted metal casing appeared to be in reasonable condition. “It’s very plausible that any info on the recorder survived,” Mr Guzzetti said.
“If they can recover it, and it’s from the accident flight, that will be a huge help to investigators.”
