Air traffic control audio and flight tracking data are revealing the doomed Learjet's final minutes, tracing its path from takeoff in Austin, Texas, to its fatal plunge in Greenacres, Florida, where all nine people on board were killed.
asserted
people → reveal → board
Taken together, the records depict a flight crew contending with turbulence and icing before initiating a climb, only to experience an abrupt and violent descent almost immediately afterward, along with an overspeed warning and an in-flight breakup that investigators have yet to fully explain.
asserted
investigators → take → that
Timeline of Learjet N722BD (all times in Eastern Time):
10:37 a.m. - Departure:
Austin tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, his wife, Helen Sharp, 40, and their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, along with the children's nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, and couple Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on a Bombardier Learjet 60.
11 a.m. - Reaches cruise altitude:
The Learjet reaches cruise altitude at approximately 41,000 feet, according to flight data.
uncertain
Learjet → depart → data
No notable events occur for the next hour and a half.
asserted
events → occur → hour
12:31 p.m. - Air Traffic Control spots precipitation:
asserted
Control → spot → precipitation
While the Learjet is around 41,000 feet in the air, an air traffic controller advised the flight crew of moderate precipitation 5 miles away from them, and then said there were options to go to the left or right.
asserted
controller → advise → left
The crew was then told to proceed to a waypoint near Naples, Florida.
asserted
crew → tell → Naples
12:32 p.m. - Flight crew asks for a more direct route:
asserted
crew → ask → route
The flight crew asked about proceeding directly toward the Bahamas, which would take them across Florida.
asserted
which → ask → Florida
Air Traffic Control approved that route, but warned about moderate-to-extreme precipitation along that route and said the turn toward the Bahamas looked poor from a weather standpoint.
asserted
turn → approve → standpoint
Flight crew alters their plan:
asserted
crew → alter → plan
The Learjet flight crew altered their plan, and indicated it would turn toward Naples, Florida and then head toward the Bahamas.
12:36 p.m.:
asserted
it → alter → Bahamas
Air Traffic Control instructs descent:
asserted
Control → instruct → descent
Air Traffic Control instructed the Learjet to descend to 35,000 feet.
asserted
Control → instruct → feet
Air Traffic Control authorizes deviation:
asserted
Control → authorize → deviation
Air Traffic Control authorized left or right deviations for weather, telling the flight crew they can proceed toward the Bahamas when able to.
asserted
they → authorize → Bahamas
Tracking indicates the plane headed further north toward Palm Beach County.
asserted
plane → indicate → County
Conditions deteriorate:
asserted
Conditions → deteriorate → ?
The flight crew indicated that weather conditions are deteriorating, reporting to Air Traffic Control that there is icing and turbulence, asking the controller if there's a "better ride" ahead.
The crew also reported they are beginning to experience precipitation, and asked to climb to 37,000 feet.
asserted
they → indicate → feet
Learjet begins climbing, then rapidly descends:
asserted
Learjet → begin → ?
The Learjet climbed to 35,450 feet versus the approved 37,000 feet before rapidly descending.
asserted
Learjet → climb → feet
A mayday call was made to Air Traffic Control, as the plane descended at a rate of about 10,000 feet per minute.
asserted
plane → make → minute
The descent rate doubled a short period later, increasing to around 20,000 feet per minute.
asserted
rate → double → minute
The controller advised the crew that altitude is at their discretion, and asked what they needed.
asserted
they → advise → what
A short time later, the crew advised Air Traffic Control, "We’re going to crash into the ground.
asserted
We → advise → ground
Talk to me," the controller said.
asserted
controller → talk → me
The aircraft crashes:
asserted
aircraft → crash → ?
"Holy f–k, we're out of time!" the flight crew could be heard saying before the plane crashed in Greenacres, Florida.
uncertain
plane → say → Greenacres
Alan Diehl, a former NTSB investigator, said in an interview with Fox News Digital that once the Learjet lost controlled flight, the pilots likely had almost no meaningful capacity to bring it back under control.
asserted
pilots → say → control
"For all intents and purposes, they were passengers," he said.
asserted
he → say → intents
"Once you’re caught into this trap, it’s like the proverbial situation of painting yourself in the corner.
asserted
it → catch → corner
There’s three potentially bad options," Diehl said.
asserted
Diehl → ’ → ?
The key point here is that they did not have much time…
asserted
they → have → time
You have literally seconds to respond, and at some point it may have been impossible."
uncertain
it → have → point
The Aporia
