Aviation Expert Questions the Choice Pilots Made Before Florida Jet Went Down, Killing 9

An aviation expert says the pilots of a Learjet 60 had the option to avoid a dangerous storm. Instead, they continued through it before a crash that killed all nine people aboard.

Days after the November 1 crash in Florida, investigators confirmed that the aircraft's left elevator had separated before impact. The discovery has added another question to an investigation already focused on severe weather.

Among those killed in the crash were two pilots and seven passengers, including two young children.

One of the pilots was 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, a co-pilot from Boca Raton, Florida. Her mother, Camila Corteleti, told The New York Times that Filgueiras earned her pilot's license at 17 and had logged more than 1,300 flight hours.

Filgueiras had worked for Upper Jets, a private charter company based in Fort Lauderdale. Her love of aviation began in childhood, when she accompanied her father, a recreational pilot, on flights.

Corteleti recalled that her daughter enjoyed watching planes take off and land at Boca Raton Airport. By age 12, Nathalia had already decided she wanted to become a pilot.

Her sister, Giulia Filgueiras, shared a similar account with NBC News, reinforcing their mother's description of Nathalia's childhood ambition. "Flying was her biggest passion," she said. "That was her dream to become a pilot since she was very young."

The other pilot was Captain Jeff Gregory, who had previously worked for East Coast Jets. In a statement on its website, the company said Gregory had been employed there briefly in 2016 and 2017 before pursuing other opportunities.

The company expressed condolences to his family and everyone affected by the tragedy.

The seven passengers were Austin tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Also aboard were family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, who were a couple, and the children's nanny, Anita Maria Cetina.

The passengers' families released a joint statement thanking first responders, investigators, and the Palm Beach County community for their support.

They also acknowledged the grief experienced by the pilots' families. "Our hearts are also with the families of the pilots, who are grieving alongside us. We ask for privacy as we grieve," the statement said.

Investigators Examine Weather and the Aircraft's Final Moments

Federal investigators have recovered key aircraft components that may help explain what happened before the Learjet crashed.

During a November 3 National Transportation Safety Board briefing, board member Tom Chapman said most of the aircraft's left elevator was found in three pieces, between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the accident site.

The elevator is a movable control surface on the aircraft's tail that helps control its pitch.

When a reporter asked whether the component had separated before the crash or broken away on impact, Chapman pointed to the distance between the debris and the crash site.

"The distance from the site indicates that it separated before impact," he said.

Investigators are retaining the recovered pieces for analysis. Their discovery provides an important clue about the aircraft's condition, but officials have not determined what caused the separation or whether it initiated the crash.

The NTSB is also examining what witnesses observed as the aircraft went down.

"Witnesses have been quite helpful," Chapman said. "I understand that we've now received dash cam footage and multiple eyewitness accounts that will help us better understand the condition of the aircraft and the circumstances of the crash."

Investigators are gathering aircraft maintenance records, crew records, and information about crew performance.

Chapman said such records may be collected from offices away from the accident site. However, he could not confirm the specific Fort Lauderdale office mentioned by a reporter.

When asked whether the aircraft's weather radar was working, Chapman said officials did not yet have enough information to reach a conclusion.

He emphasized that weather remained a key focus of the investigation.

The NTSB has not established what caused the crash. Its findings about the aircraft's condition, together with the weather evidence, remain central to understanding the flight's final moments.

A Former Investigator Warns About Conditions Near Cloud Tops

The Learjet's crew reportedly requested permission to climb higher while flying near 35,000 feet, according to an aviation expert who examined the circumstances of the accident.

Dan Diggins, a veteran pilot and former air safety investigator, told My Sun Coast that the crew appeared to be trying to get above turbulent, moisture-filled clouds.

He warned that the area near the cloud tops can expose aircraft to dangerous icing conditions.

"The worst place you can fly when we have these frontal passages like we were having is right at the top of the cloud," Diggins said.

He suggested that the aircraft may have experienced a tailplane stall, a rare and potentially fatal event in which the horizontal stabilizer at the rear of the aircraft loses lift, causing the nose to pitch sharply downward.

Diggins suspected that ice from supercooled water droplets had accumulated on the tail before the climb. He theorized that a subsequent change in engine power and altitude may have triggered the event.

His explanation remains unconfirmed. Federal investigators have not determined whether icing or a tailplane stall contributed to the crash.

Why an Aviation Expert Says the Pilots Should Have Avoided the Storm

Justin Crabbe, a veteran pilot and CEO of charter-flight booking platform Jettly, said the crew had an opportunity to avoid the dangerous weather.

According to the New York Post, the pilots continued through the storm before attempting what the expert described as a risky escape.

The aircraft had appeared in Jettly's charter listings. "They certainly should have gone around [the storm]," Crabbe told the publication.

He also addressed the options available to the crew during the flight. "[Air-traffic control] gave them the flexibility to deviate around that weather," he said.

Crabbe said he did not know why the pilots continued through the storm. He suspected they may have been eager to reach the Bahamas.

He also offered a possible explanation for the pilots' decision. "It's a theory called 'get-there-itis,' and flight schools teach you this very early on," he said.

Crabbe explained why pilots need to recognize pressures that could affect their decisions.

"It's a risk factor. You have to sit back as a pilot and understand what is pushing you to do this trip, this maneuver, this journey in a way that may compromise the safety of the flight," he said.

As investigators examine what may have caused the crash, the pilots' final distress calls reveal how quickly the flight turned into an emergency. Recordings of their desperate attempts to regain control, along with footage of the aircraft's rapid descent, offer a closer look at the tragedy's final moments.

The Pilots Initially Reported Turbulence Before Something Went Terribly Wrong

In the minutes before the crash, the Learjet crew was dealing with difficult weather conditions, including turbulence, icing, and precipitation. According to recordings of the final cockpit communications, archived by LiveATC.Net, the pilots were communicating with air traffic control about the conditions surrounding their aircraft.

At one point, air traffic control asked about the outside air temperature. The pilot responded, "Minus 47 degrees Celsius. We're managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence." The exchange initially appeared to be a routine discussion about the weather. However, the situation soon became more alarming as the aircraft encountered precipitation.

"Now we're picking up precipitation. We need to climb," the pilot told air traffic control. The controller responded, "Roger. Climb and maintain."

What followed was a frightening change in the aircraft's flight path.

'Mayday, Mayday': The Learjet Began Plunging Thousands of Feet per Minute

According to the recordings, the pilot soon reported that the aircraft was losing altitude at an alarming rate. "We're descending 8,000. Mayday, mayday. We're descending 10,000 feet per minute. Declaring emergency 722 Bravo Delta. We are in an oversea condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute."

The crew had declared an emergency, but the aircraft's descent was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Air traffic control attempted to maintain communication with the pilots, asking what assistance they needed. "Let me know what you need," the controller said.

The response from the cockpit was chilling. "We're gonna crash into the ground," the pilot said. The controller continued trying to communicate with the aircraft, responding, "November two Bravo Delta. I'm here with you. Talk to me." The pilot then reported, "We are descending 22,000 feet, and we are banking 60 degrees."

Another portion of the recording captured what Fox 35 described as an inaudible scream, followed by the words, "Look outside." Air traffic control made another attempt to reach the crew, asking, "November two Bravo Delta. How do you hear?"

The BBC also reported that the crew's final recorded remark came approximately 35 seconds after the initial mayday announcement. "We're out of time," the voice from the cockpit said.

By then, the aircraft was descending at an extraordinary speed, with the crew apparently unable to recover control.

Dashcam Footage Captures the Moment the Jet Plunged Into the Neighborhood

The terrifying final moments were also captured in footage circulating on social media. A video showing the apparent moment of the crash appears to have been recorded by a vehicle's dashboard camera as cars traveled along an ordinary suburban road.

In the footage, the aircraft suddenly comes into view, plunging toward the ground at an almost vertical angle before disappearing into a massive explosion.

A huge fireball erupts at the impact site, followed by an enormous cloud of dark smoke that rises above the surrounding homes and trees. The scene is particularly unsettling because the aircraft appears to fall directly into an area where people would ordinarily be driving or going about their daily activities.

Additional footage from the neighborhood shows the thick smoke spreading across the sky as vehicles stop along the roadside. Several people can also be seen gathering nearby and looking toward the crash site.

The footage has not been independently verified, but it provides a disturbing glimpse of the disaster as it unfolded. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the impact as particularly shocking when he addressed reporters after the crash.

"When you see that video, it's a jarring thing," DeSantis said. "It's like a missile coming down, and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere." The governor also described the incident as a catastrophic crash that left a large crater along the roadside.

Around 600 Residents Evacuated as the Crash Damaged the Neighborhood

While all nine people aboard the aircraft died, the impact also caused significant disruption for people living near the crash site. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue declared a mass casualty incident as emergency personnel rushed to the area. Authorities said the crash damaged local infrastructure, including water lines, while debris was scattered across Military Trail.

The damage also affected access to a nearby mobile home park, leaving approximately 600 residents in need of temporary shelter. Joel Flores, a Palm Beach County commissioner for District 3 who was the first county official at the scene, said residents were being directed to two shelters while investigators examined the crash site.

The scale of the impact was also evident in accounts from people who experienced the explosion nearby. "I heard and felt the boom," Andrew Mannino told CNN. "The power immediately went out and is still out." Mannino said he also smelled smoke and "saw a large black cloud immerse in the air."

The authorities warned that the damage to the road and surrounding infrastructure would take time to repair. Officials estimated that Military Trail could remain closed for at least 30 days.

What Could Have Sent the Learjet Plunging Toward the Ground?

While the pilots' final communications revealed a terrifying struggle to keep the aircraft under control, investigators are still trying to establish what triggered the emergency.

Weather conditions could offer some important clues. Thunderstorms were reported across the area when the Learjet crashed, and according to CNN's report on the investigation, the aircraft had passed through a stronger storm cell just minutes before it began its rapid descent.

However, officials have not established whether the storm contributed to the crash or whether another problem caused the aircraft to lose control.

The aircraft's extraordinary descent has also caught the attention of aviation experts. Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general for the Transportation Department, said the dashcam footage could prove valuable in helping investigators reconstruct the final moments.

"That is not a controlled descent," Schiavo told CNN. "It's clear, whatever happened, they had lost control of the plane."

Schiavo also explained that the force of such a steep descent could have caused parts of the aircraft to break away. The subsequent explosion may have destroyed the flight data recorder, potentially making it more difficult for investigators to reconstruct exactly what happened.

Another detail investigators will likely examine closely is the pilots' repeated references to icing before the emergency. Ice accumulating on an aircraft's wings and other surfaces can interfere with airflow, making it difficult to maintain stable flight.

The danger is serious enough that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a safety alert in January 2024 specifically addressing the risks of in-flight icing. The agency warned that ice can "make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult and can prevent the airplane from maintaining level flight."

Still, the pilots' reports of managing ice do not establish that icing caused Sunday's disaster. Investigators will need to determine whether it affected the aircraft's performance and whether other factors, including the storm conditions, played a role.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the crash as a "horrific tragedy" and said the Federal Aviation Administration was sending a team to assist the NTSB with its investigation. "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," Duffy added.