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Federal investigators want to understand why a Learjet crashed in South Florida on Sunday. All nine people aboard were killed. NPR's Joel Rose reports investigators believe parts of that small jet may have broken off before the crash.
JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: Video recorded by witnesses captured the rapid nosedive and fiery explosion as the plane slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater in Greenacres, Florida, about 7 miles from West Palm Beach. National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman says investigators will try to learn why the Learjet crashed on its way from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.
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TOM CHAPMAN: We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact. We're still seeking to determine that.
ROSE: The investigation will be challenging, Chapman said, because the debris may be small, and some of it may be found far from the crash site. Chapman said weather will also be a major focus of the investigation.
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CHAPMAN: 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. They were at about 35,000 feet.
ROSE: A thunderstorm was pounding the region with rain on Sunday while one of the pilots reported icy conditions at high altitude moments before the nosedive began, as you can hear in this recorded audio from the website liveatc.net.
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NATHALIA FILGUEIRAS: We're managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence or direct reform.
UNIDENTIFIED CONTROLLER: OK. November 722 Bravo Delta, Roger. Let me know if you need anything else.
ROSE: Moments later, the plane began to descend rapidly. Multiple media outlets reported that one of the pilots was 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras of Florida, though NPR has not independently confirmed that. Investigators say they don't know if she was at the controls or simply relaying communications. The passengers were identified in a social media post by their families. They included Adam Robinson, a tech entrepreneur from Austin, along with his wife and children, their nanny and two friends.
Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.
(SOUNDBITE OF BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE'S, "PITTER PATTER GOES MY HEART") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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