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Investigators find Learjet tail pieces miles from Florida crash

Nine people died when a Learjet 60 flying from Austin to the Bahamas went down in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday.

By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .

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What happened

A Learjet 60 that left Austin for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing nine people. National Transportation Safety Board investigators have found parts of the horizontal tail section more than a mile from the impact site, including most of the left elevator in three pieces. An NTSB official said the pilot could not have pulled the jet out of its nosedive without that part intact.

Why it matters

The NTSB says the recovered parts confirm the plane was breaking apart before it crashed. Officials describe the evidence as very significant to the investigation.

Timeline

  1. Sunday: A Learjet 60 that departed Austin for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, killing nine people.
  2. Nov 3, 4:31 PM ET: Investigators reported finding horizontal tail section pieces more than a mile from the point of impact.
  3. Nov 3, 6:29 PM ET: An NTSB official said most of the left elevator was found in three pieces and that the pilot could not have recovered from the nosedive without it.
  4. Nov 4, 10:31 AM ET: The investigation entered its fourth day after very significant evidence was recovered.

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