Crash audio reveals 20,000 ft per minute descent

The cockpit voice recorder from the crashed Learjet 60 captured the co-pilot reporting a vertical speed of 20,000 feet per minute before the aircraft impacted the ground in Palm Beach County on Sunday. All nine occupants died in the crash, which occurred while the jet traveled from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.

Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, served as co-pilot for 55-year-old captain Adam Robinson. Air traffic control transcripts show Filgueiras initiating a Mayday call when the plane descended at 8,000 feet per minute. As the descent rate doubled to 20,000 feet per minute, she reported the aircraft was in an overspeed condition. Mikaela Schluth, who has known Filgueiras since middle school, stated that Filgueiras remained calm and continued to transmit necessary data until the end of the recording.

The other seven victims were Helen Sharp, Robinson’s travel companion, and their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. Also on board were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina. In a joint statement, the families described Sharp and Robinson as devoted parents. They characterized Fehr and Reed as individuals full of joy and adventure, while noting Cetina demonstrated a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.

Investigators are analyzing two weather scenarios that may have contributed to the loss of control. Robert Sumwalt, a former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, identified icing and thunderstorms with associated turbulence as the primary suspects. Weather data indicates the aircraft entered a rapidly intensifying thunderstorm cell shortly before the pilots reported severe turbulence and icing.

Standard equipment on the Learjet 60 includes weather radar designed to help pilots avoid such cells. The NTSB is prioritizing the recovery of the cockpit voice recorder to establish the exact sequence of events. Timothy Monville, the NTSB investigator in charge, described the recovery of major wreckage from the impact crater on the roadway as the biggest obstacle at the site.

Sumwalt expressed confidence that the investigation will determine the cause and produce recommendations to prevent similar accidents. The team continues to work through the debris field to isolate the flight data and voice recorders for analysis.