NewsWPLG Local 10November 3, 2026Miami-Dade County
Investigators find Learjet debris miles from Florida crash site as NTSB examines weather and structural failure
Photo: WPLG Local 10
National Transportation Safety Board investigators confirmed that parts of a Learjet's tail were found miles away from the Florida crash site, indicating the aircraft was breaking apart before impact. The flight crashed on Sunday afternoon near Greenacres, killing all nine people aboard and displacing about 600 nearby residents.
Read the full story at WPLG Local 10Why It Matters
The discovery of critical tail components up to 3.8 miles away from the impact crater directs federal investigators examining whether structural breakup occurred before or during the aircraft's fatal nosedive.
Key Facts
- A piece of the left elevator of the Learjet was found nearly 4 miles from the main crash site, confirming the plane was breaking apart before impact.
- Most of the left elevator was found in three pieces between 1.3 miles and 3.8 miles from Greenacres, near West Palm Beach.
- The crash resulted in nine fatalities, including two crew members and seven passengers.
- About 600 nearby residents remain displaced following the crash, with only one person on the ground reported injured.
- Co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras texted her boyfriend about 10 minutes before the crash reporting ice and turbulence.
- Final radio transmissions indicated the plane was experiencing ice accumulation and severe turbulence throwing it up and down by more than 700 feet.
- The jet descended at a rate of more than 20,000 feet per minute before crashing.
- A preliminary NTSB report is expected to be released in about a month, though determining the probable cause will likely take more than a year.
Who's Mentioned
OrganizationUpper Jets“Company that operated the flight”locationGreenacres“Florida area near where the jet went down”OrganizationNew York Post“News organization”PersonNathalia Gadelha Filgueiras“Co-pilot of the crashed flight”PersonThiago Corteleti“Stepfather of co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras”PersonWalter Noetzel“Individual who posted on Facebook about Jeff Gregory”PersonTom Chapman“National Transportation Safety Board member”PersonAdam Robinson“Technology entrepreneur and crash victim”OrganizationGoFundMe“Online fundraising website”PersonThomas Noetzel“Director of operations at Upper Jets”locationAustin“City where the flight took off”OrganizationThe Associated Press“News organization”PersonJeff Gregory“Crew member and co-pilot/pilot of the Learjet”OrganizationNational Transportation Safety Board“Federal agency investigating the plane crash”PersonHelen Sharp“Crash victim and wife of Adam Robinson”PersonJeff Guzzetti“Aviation safety expert interviewed by The Associated Press”locationWest Palm Beach“Florida area near the crash site”