Federal investigators have recovered pieces of the Learjet that crashed near West Palm Beach on Sunday, killing all nine aboard, including pilot Jeff Gregory and copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that three sections of the aircraft’s left elevator – a critical tail control surface – were found between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the impact site, indicating the components detached before the jet struck the ground.
WPBF 25 News reporter Terri Parker obtained exclusive photographs showing twisted metal on the kitchen floor of Ana Escobar’s home, less than a mile from the crash scene. Escobar told investigators the object tore through her roof and landed inside her kitchen. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office retrieved the suspected wreckage on Tuesday as evidence.
In a separate discovery, Peter DiMaira reported finding additional tail fragments at his workplace, exactly 3.8 miles from where the jet went down. NTSB board member Tom Chapman said the distance of the recovered elevator pieces “confirms the components separated from the aircraft before impact,” though investigators have not yet determined whether the loss contributed to the fatal descent.
Military Trail near Cresthaven Boulevard remains closed as crews work around a massive impact crater. A dangerous utility pole near the crater has been removed, and the NTSB plans to begin pumping water out of the crater on Wednesday to allow investigators to search for further critical components, including the cockpit voice recorder. Maintenance records show a recorder was installed on the Learjet, but its presence after the crash has not been verified.
Investigators are also reviewing dash‑cam video and eyewitness accounts while continuing to examine weather conditions and other possible factors. The NTSB has not yet determined a cause for the crash, and additional updates are expected as the search and analysis progress.
What’s next: Water will be pumped from the crater on Wednesday, allowing investigators to access the wreckage for further recovery efforts. Officials anticipate searching for the cockpit voice recorder and any remaining aircraft parts that could clarify the sequence of events leading to the crash.
Sources: wpbf.com
