The aircraft, which was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, crashed onto a street in Florida, about nine miles (14 kilometres) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
By Njoku Vincent
The families of seven passengers killed in a Learjet 60 crash in Florida, United States, have identified the victims, including a technology entrepreneur, his wife and their two young children.
The victims were identified in a joint statement issued by their families following Sunday’s crash, which claimed all nine lives aboard the aircraft.
The passengers were identified as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their children, Emma and Charlie. Others were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina.
The identities of the pilot, Jeffery Gregory, and the 20-year-old copilot, Nathalia Filgueiras, were also reported by the media.
The aircraft, which was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, crashed onto a street in Florida, about nine miles (14 kilometres) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash, including whether parts of the aircraft broke off before it plunged to the ground and exploded.
NTSB officials said they were also examining the possible roles of ice accumulation and turbulence in the incident.
According to the safety board, the flight crew had informed air traffic control shortly after take-off that the aircraft was encountering ice and moderate turbulence.
The crew reportedly requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet, but less than 30 seconds later, the aircraft began to descend rapidly.
NTSB member Tom Chapman said the crew subsequently issued a mayday call, but the transmission became unintelligible.
Air traffic control recordings indicated that a crew member declared an emergency, reporting an overspeed condition while the aircraft descended at approximately 20,000 feet per minute.
The last apparent communication from the cockpit was reportedly, “We’re out of time.”
The NTSB said thunderstorms had also been reported in the area around the time of the crash, adding that investigators were working to determine whether a cockpit voice recorder was aboard and could be recovered.
A man on the ground sustained a leg injury when the aircraft crashed onto the street.
The safety board is collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration, Learjet representatives, meteorologists and air traffic control experts to determine the probable cause of the disaster.
Air safety investigator Timothy Monville described the recovery of the wreckage from the crater created by the impact as a daunting challenge.
The NTSB said establishing the probable cause of the crash would require a lengthy investigation.