Investigators have recovered part of an engine from the Learjet that crashed onto a Florida street, officials said.
Nine people were killed in the horrific accident on Sunday near West Palm Beach, where the aircraft plunged tens of thousands of feet before erupting into a massive fireball and leaving a crater in the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday that crews excavating the crash site had located a “portion of one engine.”
“Debris has been found away from the impact location and also on the roofs of homes and buildings near the crash site,” the agency said on X.
All wreckage recovered from the area will be transported “to a secure location for further examination,” officials said.
The NTSB also asked residents to contact the agency if they discover debris or aircraft parts, warning them not to “move, alter or dispose” of anything they find.
“Even small pieces of the wreckage may contain important evidence that could help investigators determine what happened.”
Nine people died when the Learjet plunged tens of thousands of feet and exploded in a huge fireball near West Palm Beach on Sunday, leaving a large crater at the crash site
The NTSB said Thursday that officials excavating the crash area had recovered a “portion of one engine”
Residents have previously described finding aircraft debris around their properties. One suspected piece of the Learjet 60 crashed through the roof of Ana Escobar’s home.
The impact created a large hole, ripped insulation from the ceiling and allowed water to drip into the house through the damaged roof.
Escobar told the outlet that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office took the object away as evidence.
Peter DiMaira, who lives about four miles from the crash site, believes he discovered part of the aircraft’s tail. If confirmed, it could help investigators establish whether the jet was breaking apart before it hit the ground.
The NTSB also said it had recovered three sections of the jet’s left elevator, a flight-control surface that helps an aircraft move up and down. The pieces were found between one and four miles from the crash site.
Investigators are trying to determine why the business jet crashed during its flight from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. Those killed included pilot Jeffry Gregory and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their children, Emma, four, and Charlie, two, also died, according to a statement from their devastated family.
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The children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, was also killed.
Shortly before the Learjet erupted in a huge fireball, a suspected aircraft fragment crashed through the roof of Ana Escobar’s home
The debris left a large hole, tore insulation from the ceiling and allowed water to leak through the roof. The sheriff’s office collected the item as evidence
At a news conference Monday, NTSB officials said the pilots had requested an increase in altitude of 2,000 feet after encountering a thunderstorm, shortly before the aircraft spiraled toward the ground.
In distressing cockpit audio, Filgueiras told air traffic controllers that ice was building up on the aircraft and that severe turbulence had sent it up and down by more than 700 feet.
“Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000ft per minute,” she said.
Seconds later, she cried: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.”
Her voice became increasingly distressed as she said: “Descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.”
“I’m here with you, talk to me,” the air traffic controller replied.
Filgueiras responded: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.”
“We’re going to die!” she screamed, according to her final radio transmissions to air traffic control, before the Learjet struck the ground and burst into flames.
As the aircraft descended, Gregory, whom friends described as a devout Christian, could be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer in the background.
Harrowing video later showed the Learjet striking the road at a speed that some experts said may have been close to supersonic.
The NTSB is expected to issue a preliminary report next month. However, determining the exact cause of the crash will probably take more than a year.
“Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again,” NTSB member Tom Chapman said.
This is breaking news – Updates to follow.