Aviation attorney suggests icing rather than engine failure
A private Learjet 60 crashed and exploded on impact in a residential area of Palm Beach county, Florida, on Sunday 1 November, killing all nine people onboard. The aircraft came down at about 12.50pm local time, scattering debris across the crash site near a mobile home community in a heavily populated part of the county.
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a go-team to investigate the crash, with Federal Aviation Administration personnel assisting on scene. Investigators are searching for the cause.
The Learjet 60, tail number N722BD, was flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera airport in the Bahamas when it suddenly plummeted out of the sky.
A Miami-based aviation attorney who reviewed the recording between the pilot and air traffic control offered an early explanation for the steep descent. Zachary Gorwitz told the Miami Herald that it is uncommon for a plane to fall so quickly mid-flight and nosedive, and that the crash may be the result of an icing issue rather than engine failure.
Gorwitz said the recording showed the aircraft descending about 7 miles (11km) in 60 seconds. He said the pilot told air traffic control she was experiencing ice and turbulence issues within minutes of the crash.
Gorwitz said the recording led him to believe the plane experienced an icing issue, in which ice particles build up on key parts of the aircraft. He said ice could have accumulated on the plane’s horizontal stabilizer, the component on the rear of the aircraft designed to prevent the nose from tipping too far up or down.
Gorwitz said engine failure generally brings a more gradual descent, and that aircraft accidents typically occur shortly around takeoff or landing. He told the Miami Herald that “there was no gliding here.”
Gorwitz said the plane nosedived at more than 600 miles per hour, “so it’s really not surprising that there wouldn’t be a lot of surface debris because of the incredible force of the impact.”
Bombardier, which owns the Learjet brand, said in a statement: “We cannot comment on the potential cause of this accident until the investigation is complete, and we will fully support the investigating authorities and cooperate as needed.”
No cause had been announced as the investigation opened. Gorwitz’s account, drawn from the flight’s radio recording, was offered as an explanation of the steep descent, and the manufacturer said it would fully support the investigating authorities.