An animation has recreated the last moments of a Learjet 60 that crashed in Florida. This simulation shows the jet’s quick descent and the frantic communication in the cockpit prior to the crash. It raises questions about why the business jet lost control and nosedived into a residential area in Palm Beach County on November 1, which is near Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Tragically, all nine people on board died.
The Learjet was en route from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it faced severe weather. The digital creator channel AiTelly released the animation on November 3, showing the crew reporting icing and moderate turbulence while flying around 35,000 feet close to Naples, Florida. After requesting to climb to 37,000 feet for better conditions, the aircraft soon entered a dangerous overspeed condition and started to descend rapidly.
Audio recordings indicated that the pilot’s reports grew increasingly urgent. Initially, the pilot indicated that they could handle the icing conditions despite the turbulence, but the circumstances worsened. As the plane lost altitude rapidly, the co-pilot, Nathalia Filgueiras, declared an emergency, stating they were going to crash. The pilot later reported an overspeed condition, noting that they were descending at a rate of 20,000 feet per minute.
The aircraft ultimately crashed into a neighborhood, creating a significant impact site. Residents described the aftermath as resembling what would happen if a meteor struck the ground. The animation also speculated on possible causes for the loss of control, suggesting that the Learjet might have lost its horizontal stabilizer, a crucial component for maintaining balance. If this part were to detach, it could cause the plane to pitch down uncontrollably.
Though the animation proposed that the stabilizer may have been lost during the flight, it pointed out that available dashcam footage was too unclear to confirm this detail. The analysis estimated that the jet struck the ground at roughly 691 miles per hour, suggesting that it may have reached speeds beyond what it was designed to endure during its rapid descent. The animation claimed the aircraft was descending at over 30,000 feet per minute and weighed about 19,000 pounds, with around 2,900 pounds of fuel remaining. It’s important to note that these figures are speculative and not from an official investigation into the crash.
What do you think about this devastating event?
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Source: Bored Panda, by Gabija Saveiskyte