Federal investigators have recovered part of an engine from the Learjet that crashed Sunday in Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed the recovery on Thursday after crews began excavating the site on Wednesday.
The Learjet 60 departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Sunday morning, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The aircraft plunged into Palm Beach County shortly before 1 p.m., resulting in the deaths of everyone on board.
Investigators had previously recovered the left tail elevator, which controls the jet's pitch, in three separate pieces, with one piece found nearly four miles from the crash site. The NTSB called the recovered engine part a "very important piece of evidence" that could help determine what happened.
Evidence has also turned up on the roofs of nearby homes and buildings. The flight crew had reported icing and turbulence to air traffic control shortly before the crash, asking if there was a "better ride" ahead as they encountered heavy rain and thunderstorms. Weather conditions are considered a major focus of the ongoing investigation.
Among those killed in the crash were Austin tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, their two young children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, the children's nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and couple Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. The pilots were Capt. Jeffrey Scott Gregory, 55, and Copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20.
Investigators have not yet confirmed if the cockpit voice recorder was on board when the plane went down.