Important pieces from the tail of the doomed Learjet that crashed Sunday in Florida, killing all 9 people on board, had already separated from the aircraft before it hit the ground, investigators said.
The plane’s left elevator – a piece on the tail used to move it up and down – was found in three pieces in a range of around 1.3 to 3.8 miles from the accident site, National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Thomas B. Chapman told a press conference Tuesday.
“It tells us that at least some components, some pieces of the aircraft, important pieces of the aircraft separated before the impact,” Chapman said.
“What that means exactly in terms of what caused the aircraft to lose control, or whether the loss of this piece was a result of the forces on the aircraft, we don’t know yet. It’s going to take some more analysis.”
Here’s the latest on the fatal Learjet crash in Florida
- ‘Important pieces’ of doomed Learjet separated before crash that killed 9: officials
- Learjet expert reveals crucial mistake pilots made before horrific Florida crash
- Friend reacts to Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras’ haunting last words before deadly crash
- Tech exec Learjet victim made chilling post about ‘crashing a plane’ months before dying with family on flight
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
