NTSB says crucial plane parts found three miles from Florida crash site

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators have discovered crucial components of a private jet that crashed in Palm Beach, Florida. The vital parts, including a control surface that regulated the nose's up-and-down movements, were located 1.3 to 3.8 miles away from the crash site. Board member Tom Chapman stated that the majority of the Learjet's left elevator was found in three pieces, indicating that these components likely fell off before the tragic Sunday crash that claimed nine lives.

The investigators believe the loss of the left elevator may have contributed to the plane's nosedive, but it is unclear whether the part detached due to the aircraft's forces or a pre-existing issue. The Learjet 60 was en route from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed into a highway and exploded. Air traffic control audio recordings reveal the crew was managing ice and had requested to climb, but shortly thereafter, the plane began descending rapidly at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute.

The pilots alerted emergency services, expressing concern about overspeed conditions. The NTSB plans to investigate the role weather played in the crash, as officials struggled to access the wreckage due to the massive crater created by the impact on the road. Seven passengers lost their lives in the disaster, including tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, as well as friends Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and nanny Anita Maria Cetina.

The pilot, identified as 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory, and co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, who earned her pilot's license at 17, are also among the deceased.