The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found evidence that a Learjet 60 may have begun breaking apart before crashing in Palm Beach County, Florida, on 1 November. All nine people aboard the aircraft, which was flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, were killed. The cause remains unknown, and investigators have not determined what, if anything, separated from the aircraft in flight.
NTSB board member Thomas Chapman disclosed the preliminary finding at a briefing on 2 November. Investigators warned that aircraft parts could be located away from the main impact site. The Federal Aviation Administration is supporting the NTSB investigation.
Before the crash, the crew reported managing ice and encountering moderate turbulence. They later reported a rapid descent and declared an emergency. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were in the area, and weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation; the NTSB has not established that they caused or contributed to the accident.
A man on the ground sustained a leg injury, and about 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile-home community. Investigators said records indicate that a cockpit voice recorder may have been installed, but they had not established whether it was still aboard the aircraft. The possible in-flight breakup is an early investigative finding, not a final determination of how the crash occurred.