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A Learjet 60 aircraft crashes in Florida, killing 9 people. The NTSB found tail pieces 1 mile away, confirming that the plane disintegrated in the air before falling to the ground. The investigation will focus on snow accumulation, turbulence and weather factors.
According to reports, investigators investigated the accident that killed all nine people on Tuesday the 3rd.Florida southern small planecrash Pieces of the tail section of the crashed passenger plane were found more than a mile from the scene, far from the huge crater left when the plane hit the ground.
US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Commissioner Tom Chapman said at a press conference on Tuesday, the 3rd that the discovery of tail fragments confirmed that the plane disintegrated in the air before falling to the ground.
Chapman reported that the tail elevator was broken into three pieces; If lift had been incomplete, the pilots would not have been able to pull the Learjet back from the dive.
“The function of the elevator is to control the pitch of the nose of the aircraft,” he said. “At the speed of flight at that time, even if the elevator was still attached to the fuselage, I’m not sure whether it could still function. But confirming that it has fallen is extremely important evidence and can guide us in the subsequent investigation.”
Chapman acknowledged on Monday the 2nd that parts of the fuselage may have begun to collapse before hitting the ground. Co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras had informed air traffic controllers minutes before the crash that the plane had accumulated ice and encountered strong turbulence, causing the plane’s fuselage to shake violently up and down for more than 700 feet.
“We’re gonna die!” She screamed before the plane crashed and caught fire.
Jeff Gregory, 55, of a suburb of Philadelphia, was one of two crew members aboard the Learjet 60 plane that was flying to the Bahamas. The aircraft crashed after encountering bad weather at Greenacres, about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach, on the afternoon of the 1st (Sunday).
As the plane took off, a man’s voice praying to God could be heard in the background of the co-pilot’s final radio call to air traffic control. Gregory, a devout Christian, convinced his relatives and friends that the voice came from him.
Thomas Noetzel, director of operations for Upper Jets, which operated the flight, launched an online fundraiser on the fundraising website GoFundMe to support Gregory’s wife and children.
Notzel wrote on the website that Gregory was his best friend for many years and “knowing him has made me a better person.”
Knotzel’s father, Walter, also posted on Facebook: “Jeff (Gregory) is a dedicated, conscientious and extremely religious man who loves flying and loves God deeply. His journey on earth may be over, but I believe he is now flying in the ranks of the angels, soaring high in the presence of God.”
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, Gregory holds civil air transport pilot and flight instructor certifications. He lives in Gilbertsville, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and works for a charter company in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Captain Gregory,” said April Honnan, director of charter sales for East Coast Jets, where Gregory worked from 2016 to 2017.
NTSB Commissioner Chapman said on Monday the 2nd that meteorology would be one of the focuses of the investigation. A preliminary report describing what happened will be released in about a month, but it could take more than a year to determine the exact cause of the accident.
