The National Transportation Safety Board announced Sunday that its investigation of the area surrounding the Learjet 60 crash site near Greenacres is complete. Investigators cleared the Cresthaven mobile‑home park, several nearby businesses and John I. Leonard High School, which reopened Wednesday after a brief shutdown.
Recovered aircraft components
Board members reported that they have identified and secured numerous sections of the aircraft, including pieces from both wings, both engines, the flight deck, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, the left elevator, aileron sections and multiple flap‑track assemblies. Some of these parts have already been shipped to the NTSB’s laboratories in Washington, D.C. for detailed analysis.
Residents still displaced
County spokesman John Jamason told WPBF that 68 residents remain at the Greenacres Community Center while the remaining 800 evacuees await the restoration of essential services. “Power and water must be fully restored, and safety inspections completed before we can allow anyone back,” Jamason said.
Palm Beach County spokesperson Teri Barbera added that deputies continue to patrol the cleared zones to ensure public safety. The portion of Military Trail that leads directly to the crater remains closed pending further assessment.
Public safety reminder
The NTSB urged anyone who may have found debris to refrain from moving or altering it. “Contact the NTSB at [email protected] with a photo of the item,” the board’s spokesperson said, emphasizing that recovering all available wreckage is critical to determining the crash’s cause.
Impact on nearby homes
One resident, Ana Escobar, reported that a twisted piece of metal struck her roof less than a mile from the impact site, creating a hole and causing part of her kitchen ceiling to collapse. WPBF obtained exclusive photographs of the damage.
Debris found far from the crash site
Investigators recovered most of the Learjet’s left elevator in three pieces, located between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crater. NTSB board member Tom Chapman explained that the distance of the debris indicates the components separated before the aircraft hit the ground, though he cautioned that the exact significance remains unknown.
Another witness, Peter DiMaira, discovered what appeared to be tail sections at his workplace nearly four miles from the crash site.
911 calls reveal confusion
Released 911 recordings show callers describing the event as a possible bomb or explosion, reflecting the chaos that followed the crash just before 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Victims identified
Palm Beach County officials identified all nine people aboard the Learjet, which departed Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas. The passenger list includes pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, of Pennsylvania; co‑pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, of Boca Raton; tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, their children Adam (2) and Helen (4), nanny Anita Maria Satina, 24, and friends Rachel Reed and Charle Fair, both 38.
Next steps
The NTSB will continue its technical analysis of the recovered components in Washington, D.C., while Palm Beach County works to restore utilities and ensure the safety of the cleared neighborhoods. Residents are encouraged to stay informed through county updates and to cooperate with any ongoing investigations.
Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.
