Weather a major focus in Florida Learjet crash probe, with early signs the jet was breaking up before impact

Federal investigators say weather conditions are a major focus of their investigation into the Florida Learjet crash that killed nine people. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Tom Chapman said at a Monday news conference that there are preliminary indications the Learjet 60 was breaking apart before it crashed.

Chapman said: “We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact.” He added: “And so, some of this has yet to be determined. We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site.”

Investigators are also examining the weather conditions the jet encountered at approximately 35,000 feet, where the crew reported icing and moderate turbulence shortly before the crash. Chapman said: “The weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation. You all saw what the weather was like here at the surface. What we have to determine is what the weather conditions were like at altitude.”

The Learjet 60 departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas around 10:37 a.m. on Sunday, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. According to the NTSB, there were two crew members and seven passengers aboard.

At approximately 12:47 p.m., the crew reported encountering manageable light clear ice and moderate turbulence, with altitude deviations of roughly 700 feet while flying at 35,000 feet. They also reported an outside temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius, or minus 53 degrees Fahrenheit. After encountering precipitation, they requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet.

Air traffic control approved the request, but less than 30 seconds later, the crew reported descending and issued a mayday call around 12:48 p.m. According to Chapman, the crew transmitted: “We are in an overspeed condition, descending.” The remainder of the message was unintelligible.

Subsequent communications indicated the jet was rapidly losing altitude before it crashed into a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, around 12:50 p.m., killing all nine people aboard. Dashcam footage captured the jet plunging nose-first into the neighborhood and erupting into a massive fireball.

Emergency crews shut down Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, warning the public to avoid the area as flames consumed the wreckage. Local officials said approximately 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the crash as “cataclysmic” on Sunday, saying the aircraft “looked like a missile going down” and left a large crater beside the road.

NTSB investigator-in-charge Timothy Manville said the on-scene investigation will take several days, with recovering the wreckage from a crater in the roadway posing a significant challenge. He said: “The biggest obstacle that we're going to have is recovering the major wreckage from the impacted crater on the roadway.”

The FAA is assisting the NTSB investigation. The cause of the crash has not been determined.