Federal investigators have recovered part of an engine from the Learjet 60 that crashed Sunday in Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board said excavation began Wednesday after utility crews drained standing water and removed other hazards. The jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at about 10:37 a.m., headed for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. Shortly before 1 p.m., it crashed in Palm Beach County.
Investigators found part of an engine during the excavation. Debris was also discovered on the roofs of nearby homes and other buildings.
Earlier in the week, crews recovered the jet’s left tail elevator, a component that helps control pitch. It was found in three pieces, with one piece nearly four miles from the crash site. NTSB member Thomas B. Chapman described it as an important piece of evidence. The agency has said even small fragments could help explain what happened.
At an altitude of about 41,000 feet, an air traffic controller told the crew that moderate precipitation was five miles away and said they could turn either left or right. The controller also warned that the route toward Freeport in the Bahamas looked particularly bad. The crew was later directed to a waypoint near Naples, Florida.
After turning toward Palm Beach County, the pilots reported worsening conditions, including icing and turbulence. They asked the controller whether there was a smoother route ahead.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms were moving across South Florida when the plane crashed. Investigators have said weather will be a major focus of the investigation.
Those killed included Austin technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina; and Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
The jet was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder, but investigators have not found it. They also have not confirmed whether it was aboard the aircraft when it crashed.
