Investigators examine possible mid-air breakup of private jet that killed nine in Florida

Investigators believe parts of a private jet that crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board, may have broken off in the air before it hit the ground. The Learjet 60 was travelling to the Bahamas from Austin, Texas when it nosedived into a multi-lane highway and exploded on impact on Sunday. A tech entrepreneur and his young family were among the victims, along with a 20-year-old copilot. The US National Transportation Safety Board said weather conditions would be a major focus of the investigation, but that teams were struggling to access the wreckage because of a huge crater the jet left in the road near Palm Beach. The aircraft came down on Military Trail, a six-lane road lined with businesses and restaurants, at around 12:50 local time. "The biggest obstacle that we're going to have is recovering the major wreckage from the impacted crater on the roadway," lead investigator Tim Monville told a news conference on Monday. The NTSB said the crater, near the entrance to a mobile home park, was partially filled with water after severe storms. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms had been reported in the area at the time of the crash. Debris was scattered across sports fields, businesses and homes nearby. Tom Chapman of the NTSB said investigators had evidence suggesting the aircraft broke up before impact. "We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site," he said. Officials are also trying to determine whether a cockpit voice recorder was on board and whether it can be recovered. Flight analysis indicates the jet was descending hundreds of feet per second before the crash. In air traffic control recordings, someone in the cockpit reported "moderate turbulence" and said the crew was "managing the ice". The voice then said the plane was "picking up precipitation" and "we need to climb", before reporting a descent rate of 10,000ft per minute. After an emergency was declared, the crew could be heard yelling that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition descending 20,000ft per minute, followed by the words "we are going to crash into the ground". The seven passengers who died were named in a joint family statement as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two children, Emma, four, and Charlie, two, as well as Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina. The pilot was identified in media reports as Jeffery Gregory, and Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, who earned her pilot's licence at 17, was reported to be the copilot. One man in a car on the ground sustained a leg injury. Robinson and Sharp's family described the couple as "devoted parents" whose children were "the light of their lives". "Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives," the statement said. On his LinkedIn page, Robinson described himself as founder and CEO of RB2B and Retention.com, and CEO of Moltsets. He previously worked at Lehman Brothers and Barclays. Sharp was an artist according to media reports. The statement also paid tribute to Anita Maria Cetina, saying she "cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family", adding that she left "a legacy of unconditional love and devotion". Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr were described as "full of joy and adventure". Filgueiras's mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed her daughter's death to the New York Times, saying: "She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top." In a 2023 interview, Filgueiras spoke proudly of earning her pilot's licence while still a senior in high school. A spokesperson for East Coast Jets, where pilot Jeff Gregory had worked, said the company was "deeply saddened" by his death.