NTSB investigators collect Learjet wreckage and search for cockpit recorder

Recovered components await testing and possible reassembly in a secure hangar

NTSB investigators are spending days collecting every piece of the Learjet they can find, with recovered evidence headed to a secure hangar for testing and possible reassembly. The business jet encountered a thunderstorm in Florida, descended and impacted the ground, creating a crater and destroying much of the plane; all nine people aboard were killed. “Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened, and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again,” NTSB member Tom Chapman said.

In the secure hangar, investigators can test intact components and try to reassemble parts to get a better idea of what happened. Torrential rains over the previous week left the crater filling with rainwater, likely submerging some aircraft pieces, and investigators had to remove a utility pole. The force of the crash and the resulting fire destroyed much of the plane, making the recovery more difficult.

Investigators said Tuesday that pieces of the Learjet’s tail elevator, a key part of the tail that controls the angle of the nose, were found more than a mile from the main crater. They said the finding confirmed the jet started to break apart before impact. The NTSB asked anyone who finds part of the plane to report it so investigators can collect it.

Chapman said investigators are searching for the cockpit voice recorder because it could provide crucial details about what the pilots were talking about as they lost control of the jet after it encountered turbulence and ice started to build on the wings. “That will be very important data,” Chapman said. Being unable to find the recorder would not doom the investigation, he said. “Without it, our folks are very, very good. We’re still able to do some incredible detective work and determine how things transpired.”

Witness videos and photos shot by bystanders could provide crucial clues. The NTSB will collect copies of any surveillance footage that might show the crash, and final radio transmissions may provide further evidence. If found intact, the cockpit voice recorder could also help.

Weather will be a key early focus. NTSB experts will work with the National Weather Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to get a better idea of what the jet encountered while cruising at 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). Maps that overlay the flight path on weather maps show the Learjet flying directly into a small red storm cell that worsened quickly.

John Cox, a retired airline pilot and aviation safety expert, said he did not understand why the jet descended from its previous cruising altitude of 41,000 feet (12,497 meters) as it approached the storms. The pilots steered around a larger storm cell but appeared to head directly into a rapidly developing smaller one, Cox said. “If I’m looking at thunderstorms, I’d rather be at 41 than at 35. You’ve got a better view, you’re more likely to be on top of it, or at least, in the very wispy tops of it,” Cox said. “I don’t understand why they came down.”

The co-pilot told air traffic controllers that the jet was being thrown up and down by more than 700 feet (213 meters) as she asked for a better route through the area. Investigators said it was not clear why the pilots had not flown around the storms. They will try to determine whether the pilots knew the storm cell was there, what the aircraft’s weather radar displayed and whether the crew checked other weather services.

The NTSB says it considers everything that may have contributed to the crash. Investigators will review the Learjet’s maintenance records and any history of problems with the plane. They plan to interview officials from Upper Jets, which operated the flight, as well as air traffic controllers and people who work at the Texas airport where the jet took off.

Two news conferences have provided some initial details. The NTSB will spend most of the next month developing a preliminary report describing what happened. Preliminary reports provide factual details but do not include analysis or a cause. The final report for this crash will likely take more than a year. Crash investigations generally take 12 to 18 months, although complicated cases can take longer. The NTSB’s roughly 400 workers are pursuing over 1,200 active investigations.

Final reports include details about what happened and explain probable causes. In certain high-profile crashes, the NTSB may also hold several days of investigative hearings where investigators can question key people involved to learn more and share details with the public, as it did after last year’s UPS plane crash.

The NTSB also develops recommendations intended to prevent similar crashes and improve safety. But the independent agency does not have power to require those changes. Instead, adoption is up to regulators such as the FAA, industry and Congress. The Associated Press reported a long history of NTSB recommendations being ignored when regulators or industry decide making a change would be more costly and cumbersome than it is worth. Even when the FAA or Congress agrees with a suggestion, new rules can take years to approve.

For now, investigators have not assigned a cause. The preliminary report will lay out factual details without deciding why the jet descended or broke apart, while the final probable-cause analysis remains more than a year away.