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Disasters

NTSB recovers Florida Learjet's cockpit voice recorder, which is being evaluated in Washington

The recorder was found at the impact site of the Nov. 1 crash that killed nine, and it is not yet known if it holds usable data.

11 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets
Liberal3 outletsWhat the recorder could reveal about the crashCenter2 outletsThe NTSB's announcement and who was aboardConservative6 outletsThe recorder's recovery and who died
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday, Nov. 9, that investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the Learjet 60 that crashed near Greenacres, Florida, on Nov. 1. All nine people aboard died. The jet was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.

The NTSB said in a social media statement that the recorder was found at the site of initial impact. It is being evaluated at the agency's Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The NTSB also said excavation work at the impact site has been completed. It is not clear what data, if any, the device captured, and it was not immediately known whether it was damaged or working.

Investigators said the weather is among the main things they will examine. The co-pilot told controllers the aircraft was being thrown up and down by more than 700 feet. Investigators located sections of the tail elevator at a distance of over a mile away from the principal crater.

Investigators plan to review maintenance records and interview officials at Upper Jets, the operator. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Key figures
  • ninepeople killed on the LearjetUPI
  • 12 to 18 monthsusual length of an NTSB crash investigationABC News
  • more than 700 feetup-and-down movement the co-pilot reported to controllersABC News

Three sides of the story

3Liberal2Center6Conservative

11 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from liberal outlets

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal3 outlets

What the recorder could reveal about the crash

ABC News and The Independent tell the story almost the same way. Both open with the recovery and what the data could show: what the pilots said as they met turbulence, ice on the wings and loss of control. Both quote aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, who told The Associated Press it is "very plausible that any info on the recorder survived."

They add that the recorder could explain why the jet steered around a large storm cell and then into a smaller one. They also report the co-pilot's request for a better route, the elevator pieces found more than a mile from the main crater, and the usual 12 to 18 months an NTSB inquiry takes. The Independent's headline says the recovered black box "could unlock horrifying final moments."

Center2 outlets

The NTSB's announcement and who was aboard

UPI leads with the NTSB's Monday evening announcement and quotes the agency: the recorder "is being evaluated" in its Washington lab, and the excavation of the impact site is done. It says it is not clear what data, if any, the device captured. UPI gives the Learjet 60's route from Austin to the Bahamas and the crash near Greenacres around 12:50 p.m. EST.

It names the nine people aboard, including pilot Jeffrey Gregory and co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras. It lists the aircraft parts recovered earlier and says the cause remains under investigation. NewsNation carries the same headline as ABC News and says the recorder is being evaluated at a lab in Washington.

Conservative6 outlets

The recorder's recovery and who died

The New York Post says the recorder was "miraculously recovered" and that it "may have captured" the crew's final moments. It describes the crash into a South Florida mobile home park and calls Adam Robinson, 44, a "multimillionaire tech exec." Fox News quotes the NTSB's X post and recaps the investigation: an engine part found during the excavation, the left elevator recovered in three pieces and the air traffic exchange about weather.

Fox reports the crew told controllers of icing and turbulence and asked whether there was a "better ride" ahead. Just the News reports on more recovered parts, including both wings, both engines and the flight deck, as announced by the NTSB on Sunday. It says the NTSB expects a complicated, lengthy investigation and asks the public to contact the agency if they find parts.

Where outlets disagree
All sources: 14 articles from 11 outlets

Liberal (3)

Center (2)

Conservative (9)

Related
  1. Learjet crashes in South Florida, killing all nine aboard, transportation secretary says
  2. Investigators find Learjet tail part miles from Florida crash that killed nine
  3. NTSB recovers Florida Learjet's cockpit voice recorder, which is being evaluated in WashingtonThis story