Pieces of jet that crashed in Palm Beach County found miles away from impact site, NTSB says

Pieces of a Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County were found nearly 4 miles from the impact site, investigators said. NTSB member Tom Chapman noted that a portion of the tail located far from where the crash occurred suggests the plane broke up before it hit the ground.

Chapman described the tail’s elevator as having broken into three parts. He said the loss of an intact elevator would affect the aircraft’s ability to control pitch, though he cautioned it is unclear whether it would have been effective at high speeds even if still attached.

Investigators indicated that parts of the jet were located as far as 3.8 miles from the impact site. They stated that such breakup evidence points toward other lines of inquiry about the loss of control prior to impact.

The co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, told air traffic controllers that ice was accumulating on the plane and that severe turbulence had thrown it up and down by more than 700 feet before declaring a mayday. The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, toward the Bahamas when it crashed and erupted in a fireball.

Victims identified by CBS News include a Austin couple, Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, and their two young children, Emma and Charlie, along with Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina. The other pilot was identified as Jeff Gregory, 55, by family and friends. At the moment, no additional details about casualties or scenarios beyond the identified individuals are provided.