The recording shows the pilot of a plane crashed plane Florida said “we are managing the ice” shortly before declaring a “mayday” on Sunday.
The plane crashed into a community on a busy road and exploded into a huge fireball, leaving a huge crater in Palm Beach County and killing all nine people on board.
The Learjet 60 aircraft was en route from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when the pilot began reporting weather and turbulence issues, according to the FAA.
“We’re dealing with snow and ice, but this is moderate turbulence,” the pilot of the business jet can be heard saying on the air traffic control recording.
The pilot made multiple distress calls in bad weather, which officials believe may have contributed to the crash.
“722 Bravo Delta, we are descending 8,000 feet, mayday, mayday, we are descending at 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said.
In the final moments, the messages became increasingly alarming: “A state of emergency has been declared on 722 Bravo Delta, we are in overdrive at 20,000 feet per minute descent.”
The plane’s last broadcast data showed it was flying at an altitude of nearly 9,000 feet before diving at a speed of more than 32,000 feet per minute (about 363 mph).
Several sources confirmed to CBS News that 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras was the co-pilot of the plane. CBS affiliate WPEC featured her in a 2023 report. The captain was identified as Jeffrey Gregory, 55, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter and a listing obtained by CBS.
Among the passengers on the plane were a couple in their 40s with two young children, two passengers in their 30s and a passenger in his 20s. CBS News is withholding the passenger’s name pending confirmation of family notification.
Robert Sumwalt, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a CBS News transportation safety expert, said it’s difficult to regain control of a plane that loses control due to ice. He said ice on the wings could be fatal.
“First, it adds weight, but more importantly, it disrupts the smooth flow of air over the top of the wing, and any interference with the flow of air over the top of the wing will seriously affect the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft,” he said.
The NTSB will lead the investigation.
“We do have some indication that the aircraft broke apart prior to impact,” NTSB board member Tom Chapman said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “We may find parts of the aircraft that were some distance away from the actual impact site.”
No one on the ground was killed in the crash, but the National Transportation Safety Board said one person suffered a leg injury.
People who were nearby at the time described the intensity of its impact.
“It feels like it’s right next to us,” Aki Kuusisto said. “Just like driving down the road, we heard the whistle and the roar, and you could feel it in the car, so close.”
other witness Describing their home as shaking and lights flickering.