Learjet That Killed Nine in Florida Had a Voice Recorder Fitted, but the NTSB Can't Say It Was Still Aboard

Maintenance records indicate a cockpit voice recorder had been installed on the Learjet that crashed in Florida on Sunday 1 November. Investigators cannot yet say it was still aboard. A working recorder would capture the crew's words in the three minutes between their ice report and the crash. All nine occupants died.

Tom Chapman, a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), raised the doubt on Monday, 2 November. 'What we don't know is whether that recorder was still on board,' he said. He added that the board is 'very hopeful that we can recover it.'

What Investigators Know So Far

Two pilots and seven passengers left Austin, Texas, on Sunday morning, heading for Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Aurora Aviation, which trades as Upper Jets, operated the jet, the NTSB said. At about 12:47pm, the crew, cruising at 35,000 feet (10,668 metres) reported a light build-up of clear ice and moderate turbulence. Controllers cleared a climb to 37,000 feet (11,277.6 metres), and within 30 seconds the crew radioed a descent, then a Mayday. CBS12's report below sets out that timeline.

Chapman said early evidence suggests the jet began breaking up before impact, though the board is checking. Debris lies across about half a mile (0.8 kilometres) of homes, businesses and ball fields. He would not guess at what caused the crash. He said it is too early to know if the jet flew through a storm. Relatives have named the co-pilot as Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, but the NTSB has not said who was flying.

Why the Recorder Matters

An inoperative recorder made investigators' work harder after a Learjet 55 medical jet crashed in Philadelphia on 31 January 2025, killing seven people. The NTSB later found that its voice recorder had probably not worked for years. Even after cleaning and repairs, the liquid-damaged tape held no audio of the accident flight. 'It's a significant loss of important information that should have been there,' former NTSB chairman Jim Hall said in March 2025.

US rules require a voice recorder on multi-engine jets with six or more passenger seats that need two pilots. Flight data recorders are generally needed only from 10 seats up. On smaller jets, the voice recorder can be the only one. Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB investigator, said in 2025 that the board can reach a probable cause without a recording. A probable cause is the board's formal finding on why a crash happened.

What Happens Next

About 20 NTSB investigators are at the scene, including specialists in recorders, weather and aircraft structures. Federal Aviation Administration staff and the jet's maker are helping. The board expects to spend days at the crash site, where a flooded crater is slowing recovery. An early report usually follows within weeks; the final finding takes longer.

About 600 people from the mobile home park next door cannot go home, and a nearby high school has shut. Local officials said Military Trail could stay closed to traffic for a month or more. Families of seven passengers, including Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp and their two children, confirmed the deaths in a joint statement.