Months before Learjet crash same plane struggled in severe turbulence

Months before Learjet crash same plane struggled in severe turbulence The Learjet 60 appears to have been the same jet involved in the fatal crash in Palm Beach this weekend, which killed all nine people on board after going down in Florida Worrying audio reveals that the Learjet which crashed in Florida received a warning from air traffic control in the months before the tragedy which claimed nine lives, according to reports. The warning came after the crew were struggling to maintain altitude in severe turbulence. The Learjet 60 appears to have been the same involved in the fatal crash in Palm Beach this weekend, which killed all nine people on board. The private jet's passengers have now been named as multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, Helen, 40, their two children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina and two family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. The plane's captain during the crash on Sunday afternoon has since been identified by TMZ as Jeff Gregory, 55, who died alongside his co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. The U.S. Sun has reported that it has obtained audio of an earlier incident involving the same plane, recorded months before the tragedy. The reports say a female pilot told air traffic control the plane was experiencing “moderate chop” and said they were unable to maintain altitude. But the controller immediately reprimanded the crew, saying: “If you can’t maintain altitude, that’s not moderate. That’s severe turbulence.” The dramatic exchange, first reported by MailOnline from the ATC App, took place in May as the aircraft flew near Newark, New Jersey. According to The Sun, the controller can first be heard asking: “November Two Bravo Delta, why are you climbing?” The female pilot replied: “We were just about to call you. “We’re experiencing moderate chop and unable to hold altitude, Two Bravo Delta.” The controller responded: “That’s not moderate. Descend to four thousand immediately." The controller then warned the pilots about another business jet nearby. A male pilot then again described the conditions again, telling the controller: “We’ve got moderate chop, sir.” But the controller pushed back again, saying: “If you can’t maintain altitude, that’s not moderate. That’s severe turbulence. Are you experiencing severe turbulence?” Both pilots repeatedly responded: “Affirmative.” The controller later asked whether anyone aboard had been injured, with the female pilot replying: “No injuries as of now, but we’re still experiencing severe turbulence.” The identity of the pilots heard speaking during the May incident have not been confirmed, and it remains unclear whether the woman was the co-pilot of the Learjet crash on Sunday. But the aircraft involved in the scare was the exact same Learjet 60 that crashed on Sunday, carrying the same FAA registration, N722BD. The co-pilot of Sunday's tragic crash, Nathalia, earned her private pilot's licence aged just 17, before she even had a driving licence. She began flying lessons in 2020 and also received guidance from her father, who took up flying as a hobby in 2018. Despite being just 20, Nathalia had already clocked up around 1,300 hours of flying experience, according to her family. The National Transportation Safety Board has since said that the plane was flying through temperature of -50 degrees Fahrenheit when it began to encounter these conditions. During the flight, the 20-year-old co-pilot sent a message to the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controllers, saying the flight crew was managing the ice. But because of the stormy conditions, she asked air traffic control officials if the flight team could climb to 37,000ft, which was approved. Less than 30 seconds later, a distress mayday call came at 12.48pm on Sunday from the Learjet 60 crew, saying: “We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000ft per minute." National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman confirmed the contents of the call at a press conference on Monday. As the situation turned dire, Filgueiras continued to plead for help: “We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000ft per minute." The captain could then be heard reciting the Lord's Prayer, before Nathalia said “holy f**k we’re out of time" and the audio from the Learjet went silent. At a press conference, Mr Chapman said investigators had new details. He said: “We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact." While investigators said the Learjet debris field and crash crater stretched across the surrounding area. Weather will be a major focus of the investigation, with officials examining the severe turbulence, icing and storm conditions encountered before the jet suddenly lost altitude. The board has sent around 20 investigators to examine the jet’s structures and systems, weather conditions, air traffic control communications and flight-recording equipment.