Edition · Wed 04 Nov 2026
Politics Desk
'Mayday, Mayday': Tail Pieces Found Miles Away as Investigators Rebuild the Last Minute of a Florida Jet
Federal investigators say the Learjet that plunged onto a Palm Beach County road, killing all nine people aboard, began breaking apart in flight after its young co-pilot reported ice and turbulence.
By Rachel · Edited by Chanan Zevin - Chief Editor and Head of Desks
Published
Ninety seconds
It took about 90 seconds for a routine radio call to turn into a cry for help. "We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence," the co-pilot told air traffic controllers as the private jet cruised high above Florida on its way from Texas to the Bahamas. Moments later she declared an emergency. "We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute," she said. "We're going to crash into the ground!"
Ninety seconds
The Learjet 60 fell about 27,000 feet in a single minute and slammed nose-first into Military Trail, a busy road in Palm Beach County, erupting in flames. All nine people aboard were killed. One person on the ground suffered a leg injury.
Pieces that tell a story
On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said most of the plane's left elevator, the surface on the tail that controls the nose's up-and-down motion, had been found in three pieces between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site. "Some pieces of the aircraft, important pieces of the aircraft, separated before the impact," said Tom Chapman, an N.T.S.B. board member. "Finding that piece is a very significant bit of evidence."
Pieces that tell a story
Investigators must now determine whether the breakup caused the catastrophic dive or resulted from it. Experts say ice can change the shape of a wing and disrupt its aerodynamics, and investigators have said ice was "certainly a factor." Rain has filled the impact crater with murky water, slowing the recovery of the main wreckage. Maintenance records show a cockpit voice recorder was installed, but it is not yet clear whether it was on board.
The lives lost
Among the dead were Adam Robinson, a tech entrepreneur, and his wife, Helen Sharp, a public relations professional and ceramic artist, along with their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. "They were the light of their lives," the family said. The children's caregiver, Anita Maria Cetina, and two friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, were also aboard.
The lives lost
The co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, was just 20. She earned her pilot's license at 17, before she had a driver's license, and had logged more than 1,300 flight hours. "She was a very good girl, responsible, hardworking," her mother said. The captain, Jeff Gregory, leaves a wife and young daughters.
A grim record
The crash is the second deadliest in the United States this year and the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60. About 20 investigators were on the scene by Sunday, with more arriving since.
A grim record
The operator, Upper Jets, said it was cooperating with the authorities. For the families, the answers will take months. For investigators, the three pieces of a tail found miles from the wreck are the first clues to what happened in that final minute.