Pilot Reports Ice and Mayday Before Learjet Plunges Into Florida Street
Audio logs show the pilot managing moderate icing and turbulence before the aircraft lost control and struck a neighborhood in Palm Beach County.
By Larissa Bell ·
Residents in a Palm Beach County neighborhood felt the ground shake and lights flicker when a private jet crashed into a busy road on Sunday. The impact created a massive fireball and a deep crater, killing all nine people on board the aircraft. No one on the ground died, although one nearby resident sustained a leg injury.
Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot’s final communications. The pilot, flying a Learjet 60, initially reported that the aircraft was dealing with moderate turbulence and ice. "We're managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence," the pilot said. Minutes later, the tone of the transmissions shifted to urgent distress calls as the plane descended rapidly.
The pilot identified the aircraft as 722 Bravo Delta and declared a Mayday. "We're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the pilot stated. As the situation worsened, the pilot announced an overspeed condition while descending at 20,000 feet per minute. Flight data indicated the plane was at nearly 9,000 feet when it entered a nosedive at a speed exceeding 32,000 feet per minute, roughly 363 miles per hour.
The aircraft departed from Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas. Jeffrey Gregory, 55, was identified as the captain. Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, served as the co-pilot. The manifest listed seven passengers: Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, a couple from Austin, and their two children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. Also on board were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina.
Robert Sumwalt, a former National Transportation Safety Board chair, explained the dangers of in-flight icing. He noted that ice disrupts airflow over the wings, which severely impacts aerodynamic performance. "Any disruption to the flow of air across the top of the wing can severely affect the aerodynamic performance of the airplane," Sumwalt said. He added that regaining control after an icing-induced stall is extremely difficult.
The NTSB is leading the investigation. Board member Tom Chapman stated on Monday that the aircraft appeared to break apart before impact. "We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site," Chapman said. Witnesses described the crash as a loud boom accompanied by a whistle. Aki Kuusisto, who was near the site, said the force was felt inside their car.
The crash occurred during severe weather that officials believe may have contributed to the accident. The NTSB will analyze the flight data and wreckage to determine the precise sequence of events leading to the loss of control.
