The terrible crash of the private jet in Greenacres on the afternoon of Sunday, November 1, may be linked to the storm that was raging in southeastern Florida at the time. Some areas of Palm Beach County, north of Greenacres, received more than 8 inches (about 20 cm) of rain between Sunday, November 1, and Monday, November 2, and thunderstorms followed one after another, accompanied by violent wind gusts.
The pilots, having noticed ice forming on the cockpit, requested permission to fly higher in order to exit the storm clouds. However, in that geographic area and at that time, meteorologists report that the clouds rose more than 15,000 feet (4,570 m) in less than 20 minutes. The pilots could therefore have found themselves back in the storm zone even at very high altitude, as the rain continued to form ice around the aircraft. It is possible that the excess ice disrupted the airflow over the wings. This could have reduced the aircraft’s lift and contributed to a stall or a loss of control. The investigation may reveal whether the aircraft’s de-icing system was malfunctioning.
Furthermore, the higher an aircraft climbs, the more precise and controlled its speed must be. The air is thinner at higher altitudes, and the safe speed range is very narrow: if the plane is too slow, it can stall or come to a standstill; if it is too fast, it can cause aerodynamic instability. Could the plane have experienced a failure of the autopilot system? The findings of the investigation may shed light on this.
“Like a missile”
The aircraft, having lost control, plummeted at 10,000 (3,048 m/min), 20,000 (6,096 m/min), and then 30,000 feet per minute (9,144 m/min), exceeding its design limits. It landed “like a missile,” in the words of Governor DeSantis, at the intersection of Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard in Greenacres, creating a crater in the ground and a fireball.
The Learjet 60, which had departed from Texas and was en route to the Bahamas, fortunately did not strike any other vehicles or homes, limiting the number of casualties to the nine passengers and the aircraft’s crew.
According to media reports, the pilot, Jeff Gregory, a 55-year-old man from Philadelphia, was reportedly heard reciting “The Lord’s Prayer” in the final seconds before the crash.
The co-pilot’s identity was confirmed by her family: the 20-year-old woman, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras of Boca Raton, whose dramatic voice and cries for help can be heard on the audio recording, was passionate about aviation.
They were carrying the family of tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their two young children, ages two and four, as well as their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina. They were accompanied by two friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
Debris was scattered over several kilometers, and the tail of the plane was found in three separate pieces. Several parked cars were destroyed, and power was temporarily cut off. A water main was damaged, but the road is expected to reopen soon, pending approval from engineers who will assess its structural stability.
More than 600 people living in nearby mobile homes were evacuated. Neighbors who found pieces of the plane on their properties were asked to turn them in to the authorities to assist with the investigation, which will attempt to reconstruct the plane’s fuselage.
Photo © Credit: Mike Illien flickr.comphotosmike – wikimedia.org.jpg
Translated with Deepl
