Learjet crash debris crashes through woman’s roof as NTSB finds tail pieces nearly 4 miles away
By Terri Parker
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PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida (WPBF) — Pieces of a Learjet that crashed near West Palm Beach, killing nine people Sunday, have been discovered miles from the impact site, including suspected wreckage that apparently tore through a woman’s roof and landed in her kitchen.
The discoveries come as federal investigators confirm that critical parts of the aircraft’s tail separated before the jet slammed into Military Trail near Cresthaven Boulevard.
WPBF 25 News investigative reporter Terri Parker obtained exclusive pictures of what appears to be twisted aircraft metal lying on the kitchen floor of Ana Escobar’s home, less than a mile from the crash scene.
Escobar said the object tore through her roof and landed inside her kitchen. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office retrieved the suspected wreckage Tuesday as evidence.
Another discovery was made nearly 4 miles from the crash site.
Peter DiMaira found what appeared to be pieces of the aircraft’s tail at his workplace, exactly 3.8 miles from where the jet went down. He contacted the sheriff’s office.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Tuesday that investigators recovered three pieces of the jet’s left elevator, a critical control surface on the tail that helps control the aircraft’s up-and-down movement.
Those pieces were discovered between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site.
NTSB board member Tom Chapman said the distance confirms the components separated from the aircraft before impact.
But investigators don’t yet know whether the loss of those pieces contributed to the crash or whether the violent forces acting on the aircraft caused them to break away.
“The function of the elevator is to control pitch up and down,” Chapman said. “At those speeds, I don’t know if it would be effective even if it had still been attached to the aircraft. But knowing that it was lost is a very important piece of evidence in terms of pointing us toward other things to investigate.”
The discovery raises a critical question: Was the aircraft already out of control when parts of its tail broke off, or did losing those components contribute to the deadly descent?
Investigators are examining weather conditions and other possible factors as they work to determine what happened.
WPBF 25 News has confirmed that Jeff Gregory was the pilot of the Learjet when it crashed Sunday.
Copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was also aboard.
The crash killed all nine people on the aircraft.
Meanwhile, NTSB investigators continued combing through the wreckage Tuesday as Military Trail remained closed near Cresthaven Boulevard.
Crews removed a dangerous utility pole near the massive impact crater, clearing the way for investigators to begin accessing the site.
The NTSB plans to begin pumping water out of the crater Wednesday so investigators can search for additional critical aircraft components buried in the wreckage.
Among the evidence they hope to find is a cockpit voice recorder.
Chapman said aircraft maintenance records indicate a recorder had been installed on the Learjet, but investigators have not yet confirmed whether it was still aboard when the plane crashed.
A surviving recording could provide valuable information about what was happening inside the cockpit during the aircraft’s final moments.
Investigators are also reviewing dashcam video and eyewitness accounts as they attempt to reconstruct the flight.
The NTSB has not determined what caused the crash.
Additional updates are expected as investigators analyze the recovered wreckage and continue searching the impact crater.
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