Photo: CBS 12
Still more questions than answers regarding the cause of a Learjet crash near Greenacres on Sunday.
"About 12:7 p.m. Eastern Time the crew transmitted to ATC that they were encountering light clear ice, which was manageable, and also moderate turbulence."
NTSB Board Member Tom Chapman shared what they know so far during a press conference yesterday. Severe thunderstorms in the area of the crash site have been speculated to have played a factor.
"The weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation. You all saw what the weather was like here at the surface. What we have to determine is what the weather conditions were like at altitude. They were at about 35,000 feet."
But Chapman says it's too soon to know for sure. He also doesn't know if they'll find a 'black box' amongst the debris field, which is over a half mile-wide.
"Our indication early here from aircraft maintenance records is that a cockpit voice recorder was installed in this aircraft. What we don't know is whether that recorder was still on board. Sometimes these things change over time."
Nine people died when the plane nosedived in an area near West Palm Beach and lead investigator Tim Monville says there was apparently one person on the ground who was hurt.
"There was a gentleman I understand, I learned today, that was leaving the immediately adjacent impact area and he sustained a leg injury."
Aviation experts have theorized that parts may have come off the Learjet before it made impact and it turns out that's something the NTSB is looking into as part of the agency's investigation.
"We do have some evidence that there was some break-up of the aircraft before impact. We're still seeking to determine that."
Hundreds of residents of a mobile home park next to the crash site remain displaced, many staying in shelters. Chapman with a message to them.
"We understand the challenges for those folks and we want to do our work as quickly as we can so that the access to the neighborhood can be reestablished."
It's too soon to know much about the cause of a Learjet crash near West Palm Beach. The plane nosedived into the ground yesterday afternoon, killing all nine people on board. Tom Chapman with the NTSB says investigators will leave no stone unturned to get answers.
He says the weather conditions are a 'major focus of the investigation,' as the co-pilot can be heard telling Air Traffic Controllers about 'precipitation' before the crash. There was a thunderstorm at the crash site at the time, but it's not yet confirmed that the jet flew through it. Some of the questions during the NTSB's first public update yesterday centered around the hundreds of residents from a mobile home park who have been displaced.
"We understand the challenges for those folks and we want to do our work as quickly as we can so that the access to the neighborhood can be reestablished."
Local officials were also on hand, but also couldn't say how long before those folks will be able to return to their homes or even their vehicles, including some work trucks. County Commissioner Joel Flores...
"I've asked the (County) Administrator to see what we can do about getting these people into a temporary housing situation rather than a shelter and I'm looking to work with nonprofits to see if we can do car rental assistance so these people can get back to work." He says many of the residents have also been given Palm Tran vouchers.
The county has declared a local emergency and Flores says the Commission has sent a request to Gov. DeSantis in hopes that he approves an emergency at the state level to bring funds to the county to help in the aftermath of this tragedy.
Military Trail could be closed between Purdy Lane and 10th Avenue North for a month or more, but no specific timelines are being given for that.
Flores says it's not within the County Commission's perview to determine how long John I. Leonard High School remains closed, but suspected it may not be too long before the school reopens. That will be up to the school board. All Palm Beach County public schools are closed on Tuesday as many are being used as polling places.
The NTSB's Chapman said it's hard to tell how long they need before they're done investigating the crater left behind by the crash because their work has been hindered by the rain. He says the crater is filled with water.