Air traffic control audio has been released documenting the final moments of a Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. All nine people on board the flight, which was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, were killed.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators are checking weather data that indicates the aircraft entered a rapidly intensifying thunderstorm cell shortly before the crash. Pilots had reported icing and significant turbulence before the plane began a rapid descent. Robert Sumwalt, a former NTSB chair and CBS News transportation safety expert, stated that investigation scenarios include atmospheric factors, specifically icing or thunderstorm-related turbulence.
In the audio, 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras can be heard reporting that the jet was descending at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute. In a later transmission, she declared an emergency, stating the aircraft was in an "overspeed condition" and descending at 20,000 feet per minute. Mikaela Schluth, who knew Filgueiras since middle school, told reporters she was proud of the co-pilot's ability to remain calm while providing information.
The victims included captain Jeffrey Gregory, 55, and seven passengers. The passengers were identified as Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp; their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; and Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina. In a joint statement, the families of the deceased described Robinson and Sharp as devoted parents and remembered Reed and Fehr for their joy and adventure, and Cetina for her devotion.
The NTSB investigation will look at whether the plane's horizontal stabilizer—a part of the tail that controls pitch—broke off during the flight. If such a component fails, the aircraft can become virtually uncontrollable. Investigators are working to recover the cockpit voice recorder from a crater at the impact site on a roadway. The findings from this recorder may help determine what occurred leading up to the crash, such as whether the crew had a clear understanding of the storm they were approaching.
Sumwalt said he is confident the NTSB investigation will result in safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar occurrences in the future. Recovery of the major wreckage from the crater remains a primary obstacle for investigators at the crash site. No specific date for the conclusion of the investigation was provided.