NTSB completes investigation of areas outside Florida jet crash excavation site, finds plane parts

The National Transportation Safety Board has completed its investigation of areas outside the excavation site of the Learjet 60 crash near Greenacres, Florida, and has recovered and identified portions of the aircraft.

Investigators have recovered components from both wings, both engines, the flight deck, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, left elevator, and sections of the ailerons and flap tracks. Some recovered parts have been sent to NTSB laboratories in Washington, D.C. for closer inspection.

The NTSB spokesperson urged anyone who found debris to avoid handling or discarding it and to contact the agency with photos to arrange recovery, emphasizing that recovering wreckage is critical to the investigation.

Among the recovered items, a twisted piece of metal believed to be from the crash site was found on a residence roof less than a mile away, damaging a kitchen area and causing a ceiling to collapse.

Other debris has been located at distances ranging from about 1.3 to nearly 4 miles from the crash site, including most of the Learjet’s left elevator found in three pieces, which the NTSB said indicates the pieces separated before the plane hit the ground.

Areas outside the excavation site that have been cleared include Cresthaven mobile home park, some businesses, and John I. Leonard High School, with the campus reopening after the closure. Authorities note that power, water restoration, and security patrols are ongoing as residents begin to return.