The National Transportation Safety Board on Monday conducted its first news briefing following the fatal crash of a Learjet in Florida on Sunday, which killed all nine occupants.
NTSB member Tom Chapman and investigator-in-charge Timothy Monville shared what the agency knows so far about the horrific accident and answered a few questions from the media. Many of the circumstances surrounding the tragedy remain unclear, but Chapman and Monville explained how officials plan to approach the investigation.
More than 4,000 people were in the waiting room for the NTSB’s live stream of the highly anticipated briefing, which began around 1:25 p.m. EST.
“Sadly, all aboard were lost,” said Chapman.
Monville said one person on the ground, who was in a vehicle driving away from the area near the impact, sustained a leg injury. No other injuries or fatalities on the ground have been reported.
“That’s all I’ve been made aware of in terms of injury,” Monville said.
Sequence of Events
Chapman said the NTSB’s early indication is that a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was installed on the airplane, but it was unclear if the device was still on board at the time of the accident. The agency is seeking to determine if it was and is hoping to recover the CVR.
ADS-B tracking and air traffic control (ATC) audio of the incident paint an initial picture of how the crash unfolded.
According to LiveATC archives, around 12:47 p.m. EST on Sunday, a pilot informed Miami’s air route traffic control center (ARTCC) that the aircraft was encountering light, clear ice as it approached Naples, Florida.
The pilot then radioed that the airplane was experiencing altitude changes of plus or minus 600-700 fpm while picking up ice and flying in moderate turbulence, circumstances they said were manageable. Outside temperature was reported as negative 47 degrees Celsius (52.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
The pilot then asked for a different altitude for a “better ride” or smoother flight, indicating that they wanted to climb from 35,000 to 37,000 feet. ATC approved the altitude change.
Around 12:48 p.m., the Learjet entered a rapid descent. The crew declared an emergency, reporting a rate of descent of 10,000 fpm in an overspeed condition. The pilot then said the aircraft was descending at 22,000 fpm and had entered a bank angle of 60 degrees. According to FlightRadar24, the reported vertical rate during descent exceeded 32,000 fpm.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” the pilot said.
Chapman said the airplane impacted the ground at about 12:51 p.m. in Palm Beach County, near West Palm Beach.
The Aircraft
The model involved in the accident was a Bombardier Learjet 60 registered N722BD.
Chapman said the airplane was operated by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jets, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based charter operator. It departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (KAUS) in Texas around 10:37 a.m. CDT and was flying to North Eleuthera Airport (MYEH) in the Bahamas as a Part 135 flight.
Images of the crash site show black smoke, a burning wreckage, and a large crater in the street. Monville said the wreckage is scattered over a small area of about 0.4 by 0.5 miles. Chapman said that water filling the crater created by the aircraft’s impact may make recovering its parts difficult.
“That’s something we’re going to be concerned about,” Chapman said.
Footage of the impact captured by vehicle dash cams appears to show that the jet’s horizontal stabilizer was missing. According to Chapman, there is “some evidence” of the aircraft breaking up before impact, but the NTSB is “still seeking to determine that.” Because of the possible breakup, investigators may find parts of the aircraft outside the immediate crash site.
Monville said scoping out the scene will be a “multiday process” and that recovering the wreckage from the roadway will pose the biggest challenge. The NTSB plans to search for and document parts away from the main impact site. The agency’s team includes on-site drone pilots and systems and structures specialists as well as off-site weather and ATC experts. They will be assisted by the FAA, representatives from Learjet, and possibly the accident aircraft’s operator.
According to law enforcement in the area some 70 people were evacuated from the crash site neighborhood and placed into a temporary shelter. Officials have not said when they can return home. Photographs and video of people walking around as wreckage burned on the street speaks to the shock of the crash.
Chapman said the NTSB is not aware of a history of this type of accident involving the Learjet 60, but the agency will examine trends.
It also plans to interview witnesses and encouraged people with photo, video, or other information related to the accident to share it to witness@NTSB.gov. The agency urged people not to move debris if they find it.
The Flight Crew, Passengers, and Aircraft Operator
The NTSB confirmed there were nine people aboard the Learjet, including two crew and seven passengers. Officials could not answer questions about the identities of the occupants.
The aircraft’s copilot was identified to the New York Post on Monday as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, by her mother and stepfather. In an interview with the New York Times, Camila Corteleti, Filgueiras’ mother, said her daughter worked for Upper Jets and had more than 1,300 hours of flight time.
According to FAA records, Filgueiras held commercial pilot certification for both single- and multi-engine land, along with an instrument rating. Her last commercial certificate was issued March 19, and she held a type rating in the Learjet 60. Filgueiras also had a CFI certificate issued in February of 2025.
Filgueiras’ type certification included a pilot-in-command (PIC) limitation, indicating command and specific operational and supervision limitations from the FAA. These typically relate to experience level—the certificate holder must have a specific amount of experience in the aircraft make and model, usually referred to as hours, before the limitations are lifted.
The NTSB said it does not yet know whether the female copilot heard in ATC audio was the pilot flying or pilot monitoring. In two-pilot flight crews, the PIC does the flying while the pilot monitoring handles radios and other tasks necessary during the flight at the instruction of the PIC. If that voice is found to belong to Filgueiras, and considering her type limitation, it is unlikely that she was the PIC.
The Weather Conditions
Chapman said that determining what the weather conditions were like at the accident aircraft’s altitude will be a “major focus” of the NTSB’s investigation.
He could not confirm that the airplane flew through an active thunderstorm, though according to the Aviation Safety Network, there was a convective SIGMET active in the region. A convective SIGMET warns of thunderstorms with intense downdrafts, wind shear, and severe icing.
The flight crew reported that they were encountering clear ice, which tends to be particularly heavy and tenacious and can create abnormal shapes when building up on the wings, destroying lift. Ice accumulation happens quickly and, in addition to adding weight, can affect smooth airflow over the wing.
The pilot’s request for a higher altitude may have been intended to bring the aircraft above freezing conditions, and it was likely encountering freezing rain. Flying above those conditions can prevent the buildup of ice by bringing the temperature of the aircraft’s skin below freezing.
It is unclear whether the airplane’s flight into icing conditions was the responsibility of the crew or ATC. Chapman said that is “exactly what [the NTSB is] trying to determine” and that investigators will look to “sort out who knew what, and when, and what actions were taken.”
Accompanying the archived LiveATC audio is weather information from Miami’s radar station. At 11:53 a.m. Sunday, about one hour before the crash, winds were from 09 at 20 knots and gusting up to 30 knots. Peak wind from 08 at 31 knots was reported at 10:54 a.m.
Visibility was 10 sm in light rain. The first layer of clouds was scattered at 2,100 feet, with another layer at 2,800 feet and a ceiling that was overcast at 5,500 feet. The temperature was 27 C (80.6 F), and dew point was 23 C (73.4 F), indicating a high probability of fog. Thunderstorms began at 11 minutes after 11 a.m. and ended at 38 minutes after the hour.
Next Steps
Chapman said a team of 20 NTSB investigators arrived at the scene Sunday, and more arrived Monday. Specialists from the agency’s Transportation Disaster Assistance Division are also on scene to provide crisis coordination and assistance to the victims’ families.
Chapman said the NTSB aims to determine not just what happened but why it happened, and it hopes to recommend changes to prevent a similar accident.
The NTSB will not issue a determination of probable cause while on scene. It is unclear how long that initial portion of the investigation will last. The agency will eventually issue preliminary and final reports after collecting and analyzing available evidence.
FLYING technical editor Meg Godlewski contributed to this report.