NTSB Finds Learjet Elevator Pieces Miles From Crash Site

Investigators recovered three pieces of a Learjet 60’s left elevator as they examine how the aircraft broke apart before crashing near Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board said the pieces were found miles from the impact site, but has not determined whether the elevator’s separation contributed to the loss of control or resulted from forces on the aircraft. At a Nov. 3 briefing, NTSB member Tom Chapman said the three sections accounted for most of the elevator. They were located between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the impact point, according to the agency. The elevator is a movable surface on the tail that helps control an aircraft’s pitch, or the angle of its nose. The recovery supports the NTSB’s finding that aircraft components separated before impact. It does not establish when the elevator came off or whether its loss caused the jet to lose control. Investigators have not determined the cause of the crash. The Learjet crashed near Cresthaven, in Palm Beach County, at about 12:50 p.m. ET on Nov. 1, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North...