Florida Learjet crash: Investigators find tail components miles from wreckage

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered pieces of a Learjet 60 elevator up to 3.8 miles from the crash site in Palm Beach County, Florida. The discovery of the left elevator in three separate pieces suggests the aircraft began breaking apart in mid-air before its final impact on November 1.

NTSB member Tom Chapman stated that while it is unclear if the loss of the elevator caused the aircraft to lose control or if it was torn off by the extreme forces of the subsequent nosedive, the finding is a “very, very significant bit of evidence.” The aircraft, which was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, reportedly encountered ice, precipitation, and turbulence before the emergency.

Investigators are also examining the possibility of a phenomenon known as “coffin corner,” which occurs at high altitudes when a pilot's margin between stall speed and maximum operating speed becomes dangerously narrow. The jet experienced a rapid descent from approximately 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in just over a minute. The crash killed all nine people on board, including a technology entrepreneur, his family, and the flight crew.