Florida Learjet crash: Did the pilots make a crucial mistake? Here's the latest on the horrific crash

A deadly Learjet crash in Florida has raised questions about the decisions made by the pilots as the aircraft flew through a powerful storm. All nine people on board died when the $2 million jet plunged from the sky and crashed near a trailer park in Palm Beach County. Aviation experts believe the crew may have made a dangerous choice by continuing through the storm instead of avoiding it. They have also questioned whether an attempt to climb above the bad weather may have made the situation worse.

Investigators have yet to establish the exact cause of the crash. However, experts speaking to The New York Post have outlined several possible factors.

Did the Learjet pilots make a crucial mistake?

Veteran pilot Justin Crabbe, CEO of charter-flight booking platform Jettly, said the pilots should have avoided the storm. “They certainly should have gone around [the storm],” Crabbe told The New York Post.

He said air traffic control had given the crew permission to change course to avoid the dangerous weather. “[Air-traffic control] gave them the flexibility to deviate around that weather,” he said.

Crabbe suggested the pilots may have felt pressure to reach their destination in the Bahamas. He described this as “get-there-itis,” a term taught in flight schools to explain how the desire to complete a journey can affect safety decisions. The Learjet 60 was carrying two pilots and seven passengers from Texas to the Bahamas.

Could the attempt to climb above the storm have caused the crash?

The aircraft’s co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, reportedly contacted air traffic control to request permission to climb from 35,000 feet to 37,000 feet. The crew had reported freezing outside temperatures and ice forming on the aircraft. Crabbe said the attempt to reach clearer air may have contributed to the plane stalling. Ice can affect airflow over the wings, making it harder for an aircraft to stay airborne.

“They tried to ascend to get to clearer air, which may have been one of the contributing factors toward accelerating that stall,” he told The Post.

The pilots may have faced two difficult choices: climb higher and risk a stall or remain in the storm and face further ice buildup.

What caused the Learjet to plunge from the sky?

The storm itself may have created several dangers at once. According to NOAA data, the aircraft was flying through a convective storm system that reached nearly 50,000 feet. Aviation lawyer Zachary S. Gorwitz of Podhurst Orseck described the conditions as an unusually dangerous combination.

“You had turbulence. You had icing. You had precipitation. And you had incredibly tall thunderstorms that seem to have formed very quickly,” Gorwitz told The Post.



He said the aircraft may have started breaking apart before hitting the ground. Once it entered a steep dive, recovering control could have been extremely difficult. Gorwitz also cautioned against blaming the young co-pilot simply because she was communicating with air traffic control. He believes the other pilot was likely at the controls. The crash killed tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen, their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and their nanny Anita Maria Apellido Cetina.

The investigation remains ongoing. For now, the experts' comments point to several possible contributing factors, including severe weather, ice buildup and the decision to climb. None has been confirmed as the cause.