NTSB Investigates Learjet 60 Breakup Over Florida That Killed 9
Federal investigators are piecing together what happened after a Learjet 60 crashed onto a roadway in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1, 2026. All nine people aboard were killed, including two young children and their parents.
The aircraft, owned by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jets, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the 22-year-old, twin-engine jet struck the ground at 350 feet per second, leaving a large crater in the roadway. Investigators also found the aircraft’s left elevator, which controls pitch, in three pieces between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site. The findings suggest the aircraft may have begun breaking apart before impact.
Cockpit audio captured co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras making a desperate “Mayday, mayday!” call, followed by a final transmission: “We’re out of time.” Contact was then lost.
Expert pilots have identified “Mach tuck”—a dangerous nose-down aerodynamic condition that can occur at high speeds—as one possible factor. Severe turbulence from a large storm system encountered en route is also being considered. The FAA and NTSB are leading the investigation.
Source: ABC News – Parents and 2 young children among victims of Learjet crash in Florida