Federal investigators are examining whether a business jet that crashed in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, began breaking apart in midair. All nine people aboard the Learjet 60 were killed when the aircraft descended rapidly from 35,000 feet and struck a roadway, creating a large fiery crater.
The flight, operated by Aurora Aviation (doing business as Upper Jets), departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was traveling to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Shortly before the crash, the crew requested a climb to 37,000 feet to avoid precipitation, reporting light icing and moderate turbulence. Air traffic control records indicate the aircraft began its descent less than 30 seconds after that request.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Tom Chapman stated that the crew issued a "mayday" call and reported an "overspeed condition" before the transmission became unintelligible. One of the final remarks from the cockpit was recorded as "we're out of time." Debris from the aircraft was found scattered across sports fields, businesses, and homes miles away from the primary impact site on Military Trail, which investigators said suggests a possible midair structural failure.
The victims included tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two children, Emma and Charlie. Also killed were passengers Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina, along with pilot Jeffery Gregory and 20-year-old copilot Nathalia Filgueiras. One person on the ground was treated for a leg injury following the impact.
The scale of the event involves Texas and Florida and the international destination of the Bahamas. Federal aviation experts, meteorologists, and Learjet representatives are now involved in a process that the NTSB describes as "lengthy." For the aviation industry, the investigation will determine if there was a mechanical failure or if the atmospheric conditions of Sunday morning exceeded the structural capability of the business jet, which can travel at hundreds of feet per second.
What happens next: The NTSB is currently working to recover the wreckage from the crater, a process described by air safety investigator Timothy Monville as a "daunting challenge." Officials are also attempting to locate and recover a cockpit voice recorder to analyze the final moments of the flight. No specific date for a final report has been set, as aviation investigations of this nature typically take a year or longer to complete. Investigators have asked any witnesses with video or photographs of the flight to contact the agency.