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3D animation shows what happened in the last 68 Seconds before tragic Florida Learjet crash
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A new animation has revealed the quick and horrifying crash of the Bahamas-bound Learjet 60 that burst into a ball of flames in South Florida on Sunday, November 1.
The aircraft was flying at 35,000 ft before plummeting to the ground in just 76 seconds and bursting into a ball of flames on Sunday (November 1).
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), its investigation found that most of the Learjet 60's left elevator was recovered in three pieces, scattered up to 3.8 miles from the crash site.
The NTSB also swiftly dismissed rumors of a link between the crash and President Donald Trump.
Chilling audio between crew members, 55-year-old captain Jeff Gregory and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, revealed that they were warned about weather conditions by Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Now, a new animation has provided a different perspective on the crash.
Animation reveals Learjet 60's last 68 seconds
The aircraft departed Austin, and as it flew over Palm Beach County, Florida, the crew asked for a higher altitude at 35,000 feet.
Just 68 seconds after it completed its climb, the aircraft's transponder sent its last altitude.
An animation of the plane's final moments has been uploaded to YouTube, using the real air traffic control records, the ADS-B track, and the weather radar from Sunday.
While the NTSB has continued to investigate, a cause has not yet been determined.
Audio recordings show that the jet was about to fly into the rain, and the crew communicated this with ATC.
The video, which has been uploaded to AP Way, features a narrator who said: "The crew had their climb and a limit on where they could turn.
"The NTSB later called the climb one of the possible maneuvers, not necessarily the right one. The higher a jet flies, the thinner the air and the narrower the band between too slow and too fast."
He explains that the aircraft reaches its highest point, 35,450 ft, before starting to drop just seconds later.
"Six seconds later, the jet is coming down at more than 3,000 ft a minute. 10 seconds after that, 14,000 ft a minute. The nose is down and the speed is building fast," the video explains, as a 3D animation shows the speed of its nosedive.
In a chilling audio recording of the rapid descent, the co-pilot said: “We’re descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute."
Without taking a breath, she then desperately added: "We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute."
The horrific incident resulted in the deaths of all nine on board, all of whom have been identified.
Those on board included entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, his wife Helen Sharp, their four-year-old daughter Emma, and their two-year-old son Charlie.
The family was traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, and two close friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
Details of the descent
"The ground speed passes 500 knots, almost 600 mph. The jet starts to turn right, slowly at first, then tighter. It is no longer flying a straight line. It is winding down in a spiral," the narrator explains.
He adds: "Overspeed means faster than the jet was built to fly. The controls get heavy, and the nose can tuck further down."
Despite the panic on the radio, ATC remains calm, telling the crew to 'let me know what you need'.
Filgueiras could be heard stating that they were 'going to crash into the ground', as altitude readings fell by around 7,000ft every 10 seconds.
"The jet is pointing at the ground," the narrator says, as audio from the co-pilot could be heard: "We are descending 22,000 ft, and we are banking 60°."
The final altitude recorded was 8,750 ft, 68 seconds after the top of the climb.