Officials have recovered parts of an engine from the wreckage of a Learjet that crashed on a Florida street, killing all nine people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Thursday that a portion of one engine was found during excavation of the crash site near West Palm Beach.
Debris has been located away from the primary impact zone, with some pieces discovered on the roofs of nearby homes and buildings. The NTSB is urging residents to report any found debris and to avoid moving or altering it, as even small pieces could contain crucial evidence.
Some residents have already reported finding aircraft parts around their homes. Ana Escobar told reporters that a suspected piece of the Learjet 60 tore through her roof, damaging insulation and causing a leak. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has collected the item as evidence.
Peter DiMaira, who lives several miles from the crash site, believes he found a piece of the jet's tail, which could indicate the aircraft was breaking apart before impact. The NTSB confirmed it recovered three pieces of the jet's left elevator, a control surface used for up-and-down movement, between one and four miles from the crash site.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred on a flight from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. The nine victims include pilot Jeffry Gregory, co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, Emma and Charlie, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
Distressing audio from the cockpit revealed that the pilots had requested to gain altitude when they encountered a thunderstorm. Filgueiras reported ice accumulation and severe turbulence, causing the plane to fluctuate significantly. Her final transmissions indicated the aircraft was descending rapidly and in an overspeed condition before the crash.
The crash left a large hole in the ground and blocked a nearby mobile home community, displacing nearly 600 residents. Road closures are expected to last at least 30 days. The NTSB anticipates releasing a preliminary report next month, with a full investigation expected to take over a year.