Investigators are just starting a lengthy process to determine why a business jet fell from the sky in Florida after flying into a thunderstorm. The Learjet hit the ground with enough force to leave a crater and shatter the aircraft. All nine people aboard died. The plane was bound for the Bahamas.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, and it will likely take more than a year to determine the cause. Crews are collecting wreckage, and investigators said Tuesday that parts of the elevator, a key section of the tail, were found more than a mile from the main crater. That suggests the plane began breaking apart before it hit the ground.
Investigators are also searching for the cockpit voice recorder, which could capture what the pilots said as turbulence and ice built up and they lost control. Rain has complicated the work. The crater filled with water, and a utility pole had to be removed. The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report about 30 days after the crash. It will not include a cause.
Weather is a central focus. The NTSB is working with the National Weather Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to understand what the jet encountered at about 35,000 feet. The co-pilot told air traffic controllers the plane was being tossed up and down by more than 700 feet and asked for a better route. Retired airline pilot John Cox said he did not understand why the jet descended from 41,000 feet as it approached the storms.
Investigators will also review maintenance records, interview officials at Upper Jets, the operator, and talk with air traffic controllers and airport workers in Austin, Texas, where the flight departed. The NTSB typically takes 12 to 18 months to finish a probe. Its recommendations are not binding, and the FAA, industry and Congress decide whether to adopt them.
Anyone who finds pieces of the aircraft is asked to report them to investigators.
