The tail of the doomed Learjet that nosedived into a Florida street was recovered miles away from the crash site, investigators revealed.
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investigators → doom → site
The private jet, piloted by longtime aviator Jeff Gregory, crashed in Greenacres, near West Palm Beach, on Sunday while travelling at near-supersonic speed.
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jet → pilot → speed
It hit the ground with enough force to create a crater before bursting into flames, with the impact scattering plane fragments over a large area.
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impact → hit → area
Federal investigators have since located part of the plane's tail elevator about 1.3 to 3.8 miles away from the crater, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Tom Chapman said during a press briefing Tuesday.
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Chapman → locate → briefing
Officials believe that several important pieces of the jet started to break off from the aircraft before it struck the ground, Chapman said.
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Chapman → believe → ground
Investigators have not yet determined if the part separation caused the crash, or if the separation was caused by strain on the aircraft as it nosedived.
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it → determine → aircraft
The fiery crash occurred just eight miles from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club but is not connected to the no-fly zone that was hastily imposed by the US Secret Service.
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that → occur → Service
For the past week, air traffic has been rerouted away from Mar-a-Lago estate as the Secret Service operates under a 'heightened threat environment.'
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Service → reroute → environment
A Learjet 60 nosedived into an intersection in Greenacres, Florida, near West Palm Beach, on Sunday before bursting into flames
Disturbing dashcam footage of the incident, showed how a fireball erupted after the plane hit the road at what some experts said was a near-supersonic speed
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said during a press conference Tuesday that investigators have since located part of the plane's tail elevator about 1.3 to 3.8 miles away from the crater
Military and air defense systems were deployed around Mar-a-Lago and nearby President Donald J Trump International Airport, formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport, in late October at the request of the Secret Service.
All jets departing eastbound from the international airport have now been banking sharply to the north instead of flying straight out over the Atlantic.
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jets → nosedive → Atlantic
Officials have not disclosed a specific reason for the defense system's deployment, but Chapman on Tuesday confirmed there is no evidence connecting the Learjet crash to the system.
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Chapman → disclose → system
He described it as 'entirely coincidental' that the plane crashed while the no-fly zone was in effect.
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zone → describe → effect
NTSB officials previously said they believe severe weather was a 'significant factor' in the disaster and would be a key focus of their investigation.
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weather → say → investigation
Tech tycoon Adam Robinson, 45, and his ceramicist wife Helen Sharp, 40, were aboard the jet with their toddlers, Emma, four, and Charlie, two, when it tumbled out of the sky at 20,000 feet per minute on Sunday afternoon.
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it → tumble → afternoon
The family of four was traveling from their home in Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas for Robinson's birthday when the tragedy occurred.
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tragedy → travel → birthday
The impact left a massive crater in the middle of the road, damaging nearby infrastructure
Jeffrey Gregory, 55, of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, was piloting a Learjet 60 when it nosedived into a road near West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday afternoon.
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it → leave → afternoon
He is pictured with his wife Cheryl.
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He → picture → wife
Source: JeffnCheryl Corbin-Gregory/Facebook
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was co-piloting the Learjet 60 and could be heard in distressing audio warning air traffic control that the aircraft was coming down
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aircraft → co → control
Before the crash, Gregory's co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, told air traffic controllers that ice was accumulating on the plane and that severe turbulence had thrown it up and down by more than 700 feet.
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turbulence → tell → feet
Filgueiras was describing how the aircraft had banked 60 degrees, meaning it was flying sideways, and she was noting the altitude changes.
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she → describe → changes
'We're going to die!' she said with a scream before the jet slammed into the ground and erupted in a fireball, her final radio transmissions to air traffic control revealed.
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transmissions → go → control
As the plane plunged, Gregory, described by friends as a devout Christian, could be heard reciting the Lord's Prayer in the background.
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Gregory → plunge → background
At a press conference on Monday, NTSB officials said the pilots requested to gain 2,000 feet of elevation when they encountered a thunderstorm, moments before the aircraft spiraled to the ground.
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aircraft → say → ground
Some aviation experts have speculated that the plane may have hit what pilots call 'coffin corner' while trying to climb above two storm systems.
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pilots → speculate → systems
The term describes the very narrow gap between safe minimum speeds and safe maximum speeds while flying at high altitude.
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term → describe → altitude
If a pilot goes too slow or too fast, they can easily stall the plane or lose control.
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they → go → control
Adam Robinson, 45, and his wife Helen Sharp, 40, were aboard a Learjet 60 alongside their toddlers Emma, four, and Charlie, two, when it crashed in Greenacres, Florida on Sunday
Robinson's friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, (left) and the children's nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, (right) were also on the flight
Gregory, 55, held airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
He lived in Gilbertsville, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and had previously worked for a charter company based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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He → crash → Allentown
A preliminary report describing what happened will be released in about a month, but it will likely take more than a year to determine the cause of the crash.
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it → describe → crash
The Aporia
