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US transportation investigators are focusing on bad weather as the primary subject of their inquiry into a recent private plane crash that claimed nine lives, according to officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The tragic incident occurred on a Learjet 60, which departed from Austin, Texas, on Sunday and was headed to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

The aircraft crashed into a residential area in Palm Beach County, Southern Florida, resulting in the deaths of all nine individuals aboard, including the pilot, copilot, and seven passengers. However, the identities of the victims remain undisclosed as genetic analysis is required to confirm their identities. Nathalia Gadelha Filgeiras, the copilot of the plane, was identified by US media.

She had obtained her pilot's license at the age of 17 and had accumulated over 1,300 flight hours prior to becoming a charter pilot at a Fort Lauderdale-based company about nine months ago. The pilot remains unidentified pending further investigation. An audio recording from the cockpit reveals that the crew encountered moderate turbulence and reported managing the ice shortly before declaring a Mayday, stating they were descending at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute.

The NTSB has not confirmed whether a cockpit recorder was functioning during the crash or if it will be possible to recover it from the plane. Additionally, investigators noted that a driver near the crash site suffered an injury. The aircraft in question was operated by Aurora Aviation, formerly known as Upper Jets. The Bombardier plane, which entered service in 2004 and underwent renovations in 2018, was owned by a Delaware-based company called LR60271 LLC, as per the US Federal Aviation Administration's records.