Florida Learjet 60 crash: What investigators will look for in the jet's final flight data

The officials probing the accident involving the fatal Learjet 60 crash in Florida have a very important question to ask – why did the aircraft at an altitude of 35,000 feet start descending towards the earth within just one minute? The plane accident took place in Palm Beach County on November 1, resulting in the death of all nine individuals who were on board. It had taken off from Austin, Texas, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas and experienced icing, moderate turbulence and precipitation before it made an emergency declaration.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation process, which is supported by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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It is necessary for the investigators to retrace the movement of the plane, to review the weather conditions at the time, and to find out whether there was any mechanical malfunction or other causes responsible for the incident.

Data available on the flight tracking and air traffic control system has given a rough idea about the final moments of the plane. But this is not enough to find out the cause of the crash.

The final flight data could reveal how quickly the emergency escalated

Among the very first things is figuring out the flight path of the aircraft through radar records, tracking data and communication with the air traffic control.

As mentioned by Flightradar24, the plane, registered under N722BD, departed from Austin at around 15:37 UTC on November 1. The plane was moving east to the Bahamas and then descended towards 35,000 feet near southwest Florida.

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According to the flight tracking system, the plane made a sudden, sharp descent to the right just prior to its crash. The last altitude registered by the flight tracker before the crash was 8,750 feet at about 17:49:22 UTC. At some point during the descent, the vertical speed of the aircraft exceeded 32,000 feet per minute.

These numbers give an approximate timeline; however, the investigators need to determine the exact events leading to the crash.

Information from the air traffic control system can also shed some light on the matter. At first, the crew reported icing conditions and turbulence, requesting to ascend from 35,000 feet to 37,000 feet. Not long after that, the pilot stated about a quickly developing descent and overspeed. Reuters says that the pilot was descending at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute and, shortly after, reported a descent speed of 20,000 feet per minute. According to flight tracking information, the descent continued to increase in speed.

Investigators will correlate this information with the data from radar, aircraft information, and the timings of the requests from the crew to determine when the descent began.

Icing, turbulence and thunderstorms will be examined closely

Another line of investigation is the weather conditions at the time of the accident. According to the crew, there was an accumulation of ice, turbulence, and precipitation before the Learjet made its sudden descent. Also, according to the Associated Press, there were heavy rains and thunderstorms occurring in parts of South Florida.

Weather radar and satellite images, along with wind data and atmospheric conditions along the route of the Learjet, will be considered by investigators in order to find out whether there was a thunderstorm forming, turbulence, or icing conditions at the time of the accident.

Supercooled water droplets freezing on contact with the aircraft may have caused ice to accumulate on the aircraft. Depending on where the accumulation of ice is and the extent of accumulation, it will cause changes in airflow and handling problems.

Turbulence due to thunderstorms could cause sudden changes in airflow and movement of the aircraft. It is necessary to know the location of the aircraft in relation to the thunderstorms.

Nevertheless, the information provided by the crew does not provide any proof that it was the weather conditions that led to the accident. The investigators will need to determine whether the weather conditions were bad enough to influence the aircraft performance and whether there were other factors involved.

The investigation will involve consideration of the actions of the crew members in reaction to the weather conditions and their request to change altitude. It is one of the standard steps taken during an investigation and not an example of the pilot's mistakes.

The NTSB will have to determine the order of events to define what actually caused the accident.

Aircraft wreckage and maintenance records may provide the missing answers

Flight information tells about the actions performed by the plane, but the physical evidence might give more information about the reason behind it. The investigators will be looking for mechanical faults in the debris of the plane, as well as any damage to the engines or anything else that can give clues to the reason.

The Learjet 60 used in this accident was made in the year 2004 according to Flightradar24. It is not the age of the aircraft that makes it unreliable; rather, it is the history and maintenance of the plane that matters to the investigators.

The plane's engines, control system, hydraulics and other relevant parts can be checked for any malfunctions. There is also a need for the investigators to differentiate the damage caused by the impact and the damage caused before the impact.

It might be possible to find the cockpit voice recording and other relevant data to get an idea about the situation of the crew members at that time. The NTSB will consider all evidence available from the plane.

Operational aspects, such as weather briefing, route, altitude, and communication with air traffic controllers, will also be analysed by the investigators. According to news from the aviation sector, Bombardier, which is the manufacturer of the Learjet, will also cooperate with the investigation team.

The FAA will help the NTSB in collecting evidence in order to clarify the circumstances of the accident.

So far, all available information about the flight from the trackers and radio transmissions confirms that the emergency occurred very quickly. These details do not confirm what caused the descent of the plane and the inability to recover it.

The findings of the investigation will play a significant role not only in clarifying the reasons for the death of nine people on board but also in finding out some safety lessons that could prevent a similar accident from happening again.