U.S. investigators said a portion of the Learjet’s left elevator was found in three pieces nearly 4 miles from the Greenacres crash site where all nine aboard were killed.
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A piece of the Learjet that crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board, was found nearly four miles from the crash site, investigators said Tuesday, confirming the aircraft was breaking apart before impact.
NTSB member Tom Chapman said most of the left elevator—part of the tail that controls the plane’s pitch—was located in three pieces between 1.3 miles (2 kilometres) and 3.8 miles (6.1 kilometres) from Greenacres, near West Palm Beach, where the jet went down Sunday afternoon.
Chapman said the loss of the elevator would have prevented the pilot from pulling the Learjet out of its nosedive. He added that whether the loss was a cause of the aircraft losing control, or the result of the forces during the descent, remains unknown.
The NTSB said weather will be a key initial focus of the investigation. Chapman reiterated that the nosedive began after the co-pilot reported ice building up on the plane and significant turbulence as the Learjet entered a rapidly developing thunderstorm cell.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said pieces that broke off the plane were likely the result of the nosedive rather than the cause. He noted that the elevator components being discovered within a few miles of the crash site suggests they fell off closer to the ground rather than at altitude.
Chapman said freeze-frame images from videos appear to show the horizontal stabilizer missing from the top of the tail before impact, and investigators are continuing to review flight tracking information.
The Learjet 60 took off from Austin, Texas, and was headed for the Bahamas. The victims included technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson; his wife, Helen Sharp; and their two young children, as well as the family’s nanny, Ana María Ramírez Cetina.
Residents and officials said about 600 nearby residents remained displaced, and investigators plan to access the crash area on Wednesday after heavy rain to look for critical components of the plane.
Chapman said a preliminary NTSB report will be released in about a month, though determining the probable cause is expected to take more than a year.
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