The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
NTSB: Learjet crew reported ice, turbulence before deadly Greenacres crash
The crew of a Learjet 60 reported light clear ice and moderate turbulence shortly before the plane entered an overspeed condition and began descending rapidly.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the Learjet 60 crew reported light clear ice and moderate turbulence shortly before the aircraft entered an overspeed condition and began descending rapidly, crashing in Greenacres, Palm Beach County.
The aircraft operated by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jets, departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport around 10:37 a.m. Sunday en route to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, with two flight crew members and seven passengers aboard.
At about 12:47 p.m. the crew, flying at 35,000 feet, told air traffic control they were encountering light ice and moderate turbulence with altitude deviations of about 700 feet and reported an outside temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. They requested to climb to 37,000 feet, which was approved.
Less than 30 seconds later, the plane began descending and issued a mayday, followed by a transmission stating it was “in an overspeed condition descending.” Investigators have not yet established the cause and cautioned it is too early to determine weather’s role or whether the aircraft flew through a thunderstorm.
The debris field measures about half a mile by four-tenths of a mile and includes ball fields, businesses and homes. Investigators are evaluating whether a cockpit voice recorder was on board and recoverable, with maintenance records indicating one was installed. Access to the wreckage is complicated by water in a crater created by the impact.