Air traffic control recordings and flight-tracking data are providing a detailed account of the Learjet’s final minutes, tracing its route from Austin, Texas, to Greenacres, Florida, where all nine people aboard were killed.
The records show the crew navigating turbulence, icing and precipitation before requesting a climb. Almost immediately afterward, the aircraft entered a sudden, violent descent. An overspeed warning was heard, followed by an in-flight breakup that investigators have not yet explained.
Timeline of Learjet N722BD (all times Eastern):
10:37 a.m. — Takeoff:
Austin technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina; and couple Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport aboard a Bombardier Learjet 60.
The map traces the Learjet’s route from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas toward the Bahamas before it crashed in Greenacres, Florida. (Fox News)
11 a.m. — Reaches cruising altitude:
Flight data shows the Learjet reached a cruising altitude of about 41,000 feet. No significant events were recorded for roughly the next 90 minutes.
12:31 p.m. — Controller warns of precipitation:
As the Learjet flew at approximately 41,000 feet, an air traffic controller warned the crew of moderate precipitation five miles ahead. The controller said the pilots could divert either left or right before directing them toward a waypoint near Naples, Florida.
Adam Robinson and his wife, Helen Sharp, were traveling with their two young children when the Learjet flying from Texas to the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Nov. 1. (Fox News)
12:32 p.m. — Crew requests a more direct route:
The pilots asked whether they could fly directly toward the Bahamas, a route that would take them across Florida. Air traffic control approved the request but warned of moderate to extreme precipitation along the path, adding that the turn toward the Bahamas appeared unfavorable because of the weather.
12:35 p.m. — Crew changes course:
The Learjet crew revised its plan, telling controllers they would turn toward Naples before continuing on to the Bahamas.
12:36 p.m. — Descent ordered:
Air traffic control instructed the Learjet to descend to 35,000 feet.
12:40 p.m. — Weather deviation approved:
Controllers authorized the crew to deviate left or right around the weather and said they could continue toward the Bahamas when able. Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft moving farther north toward Palm Beach County.
The Learjet 60 crashed into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday afternoon, producing a huge fireball about nine miles from Mar-a-Lago. (Aki Kuusisto via Storyful)
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12:47 p.m. — Weather conditions worsen:
The crew reported that conditions were deteriorating, telling air traffic control they were encountering icing and turbulence. The pilots asked whether there was a “better ride” ahead.
The crew also said they were entering precipitation and requested a climb to 37,000 feet.
Copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, left, and Capt. Jeffrey Scott Gregory, 55, right, were flying the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2026. (Threads/@itsnatfilg; Facebook/JeffnCheryl Corbin-Gregory)
12:48 p.m. — Aircraft climbs, then plunges:
The Learjet climbed to 35,450 feet—short of the authorized 37,000 feet—before entering a rapid descent. The crew issued a mayday as the aircraft dropped at roughly 10,000 feet per minute. Shortly afterward, the descent rate doubled to about 20,000 feet per minute.
The controller told the crew that their altitude was at their discretion and asked what assistance they needed. Moments later, the pilots told air traffic control, “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
The Learjet 60 crashed into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday afternoon. (Palm Beach County Fire Rescue)
“I’m here with you. Talk to me,” the controller replied.
12:49 p.m. — Crash:
“Holy f—, we’re out of time!” the crew was heard saying moments before the aircraft crashed in Greenacres, Florida.
The map indicates the approximate crash site in Greenacres, Florida, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. (Fox News)
Alan Diehl, a former investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, told News Media that after the Learjet lost controlled flight, the pilots likely had almost no effective opportunity to recover the aircraft.
“For all intents and purposes, they were passengers,” he said.
“Once you’re caught into this trap, it’s like the proverbial situation of painting yourself in the corner. There are no really good options. There’s three potentially bad options,” Diehl said. “The key point here is that they did not have much time … You have literally seconds to respond, and at some point it may have been impossible.”