The latest drone footage shows the NTSB excavating the Learjet 60 impact site in Palm Beach County. Here’s what the crater looked like before and during the excavation.
With the water drained, crews are sifting through the soil for wreckage. I paused and zoomed in as two workers appear to carry out a larger piece.
If you find suspected debris, leave it where it is and contact [email protected].
Investigation Progress- FATAL LEARJET 60 CRASH IN FLORIDA: NTSB FINDS TAIL CONTROL SURFACE SEPARATED BEFORE IMPACT
Federal investigators have recovered significant portions of a critical tail control surface from the wreckage of a Bombardier Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people aboard on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that the aircraft's left elevator had separated in flight before the aircraft struck the ground.
Investigators recovered the elevator in three pieces, with debris located between approximately 1.3 and 3.8 miles (2.1–6.1 km) from the main impact site. The distance indicates that the component separated before ground impact.
What investigators have discovered
The left elevator is a critical flight-control surface mounted on the aircraft's horizontal tail. It controls pitch, allowing pilots to raise or lower the aircraft's nose.
NTSB said the discovery represents an important piece of evidence in determining why the aircraft entered its fatal descent.
However, investigators have not established whether the elevator's separation initiated the loss of control or whether it broke away because of extreme aerodynamic forces during the aircraft's descent.
Weather and icing under investigation
The Learjet 60 was travelling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County.
Before the accident, the crew reportedly encountered severe weather, including turbulence and icing.
The co-pilot communicated concerns about ice accumulation and significant turbulence to air traffic control before the aircraft entered its final descent.
Investigators are examining the possible relationship between the weather conditions, aircraft control and the structural separation.
Wreckage recovery continues
NTSB investigators returned to the crash site on Tuesday to recover additional aircraft components.
Teams are also working to remove water from the impact crater to access buried wreckage and recover critical evidence, including components that may help reconstruct the aircraft's final moments.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no definitive cause has been established.
The critical question:
Did the loss of the left elevator trigger the aircraft's uncontrollable descent, or did extreme forces during the descent cause the tail structure to fail?
The NTSB's structural examinations, wreckage reconstruction and analysis of flight data will be essential in determining the sequence of events.
#AviationNews #Learjet60 #NTSB #AircraftAccident #Florida #PalmBeachCounty #AviationSafety #CrashInvestigation
Все знают классический Тандерболт? Так вот...
"Машина создана компанией Republic Aviation Company под руководством американского инженера, выходца из России грузинского происхождения, А. М. Картвели на основе разработок российского и американского инженера и авиатора А. Н. Северского."
https://t.co/Vbu99dIdif
#авиация #самолёты #США #Republic #P47 #Thunderbolt #Россия #Грузия