3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 2
Summary
Nine people died when a Bahamas-bound Learjet 60 crashed Sunday in a South Florida neighborhood, and NTSB investigators said weather is now a central focus alongside signs the jet may have begun breaking apart before impact.
Archived radio traffic shows the crew reported rain, ice and moderate turbulence before declaring mayday; the aircraft entered a rapidly growing storm near Palm Beach at 35,000 feet around 12:47 p.m.
That thunderstorm grew from about 33,000 feet to 48,300 feet within 20 minutes, conditions experts said could produce violent updrafts, downdrafts and rapid icing capable of destabilizing the jet.
The victims included Austin tech CEO Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, three family companions and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras; one man on the ground suffered a leg injury.
Investigators are still searching for any onboard recording device and warned that recovering wreckage from the cratered roadway will be difficult as residents displaced from the nearby mobile home park await answers.