Florida plane crash: 911 calls reveal the confusion of Learjet60 crash witnesses after nine killed
Newly released 911 calls have highlighted the confusion of people who witnessed the horrific Learjet 60 crash.
Newly released 911 calls have highlighted the confusion of people who witnessed the horrific Learjet 60 crash.
On November 1, Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp, and their children, Emma and Charlie; friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr; and nanny Anita Maria Cetina were travelling from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas on a plane piloted by Jeffrey Gregory and co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras.
The Learjet 60 nosedived into the ground near West Palm Beach and erupted into a fireball, killing all onboard.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The crash site was alongside a busy road but because of how quick it happened, witnesses were left confused by what they had seen.
Almost two weeks on from the horror, 911 calls have been released revealing the confusion of witnesses.
“There was an explosion,” one caller said at 12.51pm, moments after the crash.
“I think an airplane or rocket, something fell from the sky.
“We felt our house shake, and then we heard an explosion when we ran outside.
“We didn’t see the actual thing fall but sparks came out and there was a bunch of smoke.”
Another made a panicked call reporting a “bomb” which had caused a “really big explosion”.
One caller was a retired police officer who had raised suspicions about a white vehicle nearby the crater, implying it may have been involved.
Investigations are underway to determine what caused the crash.
However, it is believed thunderstorms in the area may have contributed.
Audio recordings from inside the cockpit were widely shared online after the plane nosedived into the ground.
In it, co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras could be heard communicating with air traffic control as conditions rapidly deteriorated over a period of mere minutes.
She requested permission to climb another 2,000 feet (about 610 meters) then quickly declared an emergency as the jet lost altitude at an alarming rate.
“We’re descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” she radioed.
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” she said, before delivering a devastating acknowledgement of what was about to happen.
“We’re going to crash into the ground.”
On November 9, investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder of the plane which will be evaluated.
