UPDATE: NTSB says Florida Learjet crew reported icing and turbulence before crash
The NTSB said the Learjet 60 crew reported light icing and moderate turbulence minutes before the plane went into a rapid descent near Greenacres, Florida. Investigators said they have some evidence the jet began breaking up before impact, but the cause has not been determined.
UPDATE: The National Transportation Safety Board gave a first briefing Monday on the Learjet 60 that crashed Sunday near Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people on board. As reported earlier.
NTSB Member Tom Chapman said the jet left Austin, Texas, around 10:37 a.m. ET Sunday, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas, with two crew members and seven passengers. Around 12:47 p.m., he said, the crew told air traffic control they were encountering light icing they considered manageable and moderate turbulence at 35,000 feet. The crew then asked to climb to 37,000 feet, and within about 30 seconds a transmission announced a descent, followed by a mayday call. The crew reported an overspeed condition, and the plane crashed around 12:51 p.m.
Chapman said investigators have "some evidence" the aircraft began breaking apart before impact. He described a debris field of about half a mile by four-tenths of a mile. He said weather is a major focus of the investigation, but the NTSB has not determined a cause and will not speculate. One person on the ground suffered a leg injury.
Investigators are still working to identify the recovered pieces and to determine whether a cockpit voice recorder was aboard.
(The photo is a file photo of a Learjet 60 and does not show the aircraft in this crash.)