GREENACRES, FL, Nov. 4, 2026 — Federal investigators have found most of the left elevator from the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County on Sunday, and it was miles from where the jet hit the ground, National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said.
"Yesterday the majority of the aircraft's left elevator was located in three pieces within a range of about 1.3 to 3.8 miles away from the accident site," Chapman said at a Nov. 3 news conference, USA TODAY reported. "Those items are being retained for analysis."
The elevator is the movable part of the tail that controls whether the plane's nose points up or down. All nine people aboard died when the jet went down near South Military Trail on Nov. 1, as we reported Sunday.
What the find does and doesn't tell investigators
The Associated Press reported that the discovery confirms the plane was breaking apart before impact. Chapman was careful not to go further.
"What that means exactly, in terms of what caused the aircraft to lose control, or whether the loss of this piece was a result of the forces on the aircraft, we don't know yet," he said, according to AP.
Without the elevator, the pilots couldn't have pulled the jet out of its dive, Chapman said. "At those speeds I don't know that it would've been effective even if it had still been attached to the aircraft, but knowing that it was lost is a very important piece of evidence in terms of pointing us toward other things to investigate."
USA TODAY reported that Chapman also said evidence suggests the jet may have been out of control before the pieces came off. Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told AP the pieces were probably a byproduct of the dive, not its cause. "If those parts would have broken off at altitude, those pieces would be a lot farther away," he said.
Chapman said weather will be "a major concern of the investigation," according to USA TODAY.
The flight's last minutes, as reported
The jet left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, TX, at 10:37 a.m. ET, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the NTSB said, according to USA TODAY. The paper's timeline, built from NTSB information, Flightradar24 data and archived air traffic control audio, shows that at about 12:47 p.m., at roughly 35,000 feet, the crew reported "light clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence." A minute later, the crew asked to climb to 37,000 feet and was cleared. About 30 seconds after that, the crew declared an emergency and reported a rapid descent and an overspeed condition, meaning the jet was flying faster than its maximum permitted speed. The jet crashed at about 12:50 p.m.
The flight was operated by Upper Jets, AP reported.
Into the crater
The impact left a crater that filled with water during this week's heavy rain. Chapman said crews had begun pumping it out and expected to get into it Wednesday. "We expect to find critical airplane components in the crater," he said, according to USA TODAY.
Investigators are also looking for the cockpit voice recorder. Chapman has said records show one was installed on the aircraft at some point, but investigators don't know if it was still aboard, USA TODAY reported.
A preliminary NTSB report is expected in about a month, and a probable cause will likely take more than a year, AP reported.
Neighbors still waiting
About 600 nearby residents remain displaced, and one person on the ground was injured, according to AP. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores told WPTV that people in the mobile home neighborhood can't go back while the area is being investigated. "You know, it could be up to two weeks. We don't really know," Flores said.
WPTV reported that about 50 people stayed overnight at the Greenacres Community Center, the county's remaining shelter, and that Flores is working on hotel, food and Palm Tran vouchers for people who can't reach their cars. A broken water main also has to be pumped out before crews can reach some debris, he said.
State Rep. Debra Tendrich said aircraft debris is scattered across roughly two miles. "Some of those pieces are very sharp," she told WPTV, urging residents to check their yards. She said people who find possible evidence or who saw the crash can call 561-688-3375.
The people aboard
Relatives have identified the passengers as Adam Robinson, 45, a technology entrepreneur; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; their two young children; the family's nanny, a native of Colombia; and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, according to AP and USA TODAY. The pilots were Capt. Jeff Gregory, 55, and co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20.
"We are deeply grateful to the first responders, investigators, and the Palm Beach County community for their care, and to everyone who has reached out with love," the passengers' families said in a joint statement, USA TODAY reported. "Our hearts are also with the families of the pilots, who are grieving alongside us."
We'll update this story when the NTSB releases more findings.
Sources: USA TODAY; AP via NBC News; WPTV; Launchpad Digital, Nov. 1.
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