NTSB: Jet broke apart before crashing in Greenacres, Florida

The private jet that crashed into a residential neighborhood in Greenacres, Florida, began breaking apart in the air before it hit the ground, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator said on Monday.

Tom Chapman, an NTSB member, told reporters that evidence indicates the aircraft disintegrated prior to impact. He warned that debris could be found far from the point where the plane struck the earth. The crash killed nine people and started a fire in the area southwest of West Palm Beach.

Video footage captured by residents shows the plane tilting sharply to the right before it plummeted into the ground and erupted in flames. A black smoke column rose over the neighborhood as onlookers watched. Anthony Blackmon, a local resident, told WTVJ that debris hit his house and set the road on fire.

The aircraft was flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to the Bahamas. The pilot reported ice accumulation and turbulence while cruising at 35,000 feet. The pilot described the turbulence as shaking the plane by up to 700 feet and the ice as light and clear. The pilot requested an additional 2,000 feet of altitude but soon declared an emergency as the descent rate increased.

Radio communications captured by LiveATC.net show the pilot calling out a descent of 8,000 feet per minute, then 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot later reported a drop of 20,000 feet per minute and warned, "We are going to crash into the ground." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the site and described the crash as catastrophic. He said the plane looked like a falling missile and left a large crater near the road.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was among the victims. Her mother, Camila Corteleti, identified her as one of the pilots. Filgueiras obtained her pilot license in 2023 at age 17 while finishing high school in West Boca Raton. Her license allowed her to fly the Learjet model involved but did not qualify her as the pilot in command. Her father, Allan Filgueiras, told the Associated Press he was not ready to speak about the accident.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said authorities evacuated residents of 77 mobile homes near the crash site. He noted that officials have not set a timeline for when residents can return due to ongoing evidence collection. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the investigation of the deaths, stating the inquiry is in its early stages. The NTSB and other teams continue to cordon off the area to determine why the aircraft lost altitude so rapidly.