“We’re Going to Crash”: Terrifying Final Radio Calls Reveal Learjet Pilots’ Desperate Fight Before Florida Disaster

A chilling recording has captured the final communications between a doomed private jet and air traffic controllers as its pilots desperately struggled to save the aircraft before it plunged into a Florida neighborhood, killing all nine people aboard.

The Learjet 60 crashed near Greenacres in Palm Beach County on November 1, shortly before 1 p.m. The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it encountered increasingly dangerous conditions.

The final radio transmissions reveal how quickly an apparently manageable flight turned into a catastrophic emergency.

Pilots reported turbulence and ice

At approximately 35,000 feet, co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras told air traffic controllers that the aircraft was experiencing light clear icing and moderate turbulence.

She explained that the jet was being thrown up and down by more than 700 feet and asked whether there was a better route through the weather.

The crew subsequently requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet in an attempt to find smoother conditions.

But the situation deteriorated almost immediately.

After reporting precipitation, the pilot declared an emergency.

“Mayday, mayday!” she called.

The aircraft was descending at approximately 10,000 feet per minute, and the crew reported that it had entered an overspeed condition.

The descent rate then accelerated dramatically.

“We’re descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot told controllers.

“We’re going to crash into the ground”

The most frightening moment came when the pilot appeared to realize that the aircraft was no longer recoverable.

“We’re gonna crash into the ground!” she cried.

The air traffic controller attempted to maintain contact, responding: “I’m here with you. Talk to me.”

The pilot then reported that the aircraft was descending at approximately 22,000 feet per minute and banking at 60 degrees.

In the final moments of the published recording, the crew could be heard shouting before communication was lost.

The recording captures the pilots’ radio communications with air traffic control. It is not the aircraft’s cockpit voice-recorder transcript, which could contain additional conversations between the two pilots.

Nine people died in the crash

The victims included Captain Jeffrey Gregory, 55, and Filgueiras, just 20 years old.

Seven passengers were also aboard: technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

The aircraft struck the ground near a residential area and erupted into a massive fireball. The impact left a large crater and scattered debris across nearby properties.

Approximately 600 residents were evacuated during the emergency response. One person on the ground was also reported injured.

Investigators recover a crucial piece of evidence

The National Transportation Safety Board has been examining the wreckage, weather conditions, aircraft maintenance records and the flight’s final movements.

Investigators discovered pieces of the left elevator, a component that controls the aircraft’s pitch, more than a mile from the main impact site. The findings indicate that the aircraft began breaking apart before hitting the ground, although investigators have not determined why.

On November 9, the NTSB announced that investigators had recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the initial impact site.

The device is being evaluated at the agency’s laboratory in Washington, DC. Officials have not yet confirmed whether it is functioning or whether its recorded information can be recovered.

If usable, the recorder could reveal what Gregory and Filgueiras said to each other during the emergency, providing details that cannot be heard in the air traffic control recording.

The NTSB has not established the cause of the crash. Severe weather, icing and turbulence are among the factors investigators are examining.

For the nine families who lost loved ones, the final radio calls offer a heartbreaking glimpse into the pilots’ desperate struggle. For investigators, the recovered cockpit recorder may hold answers to what happened in the final moments of the flight.

Source link:  DAILYMAIL