Pilots' fatal climb decision led to Florida Learjet crash

Massive fireball from the crash (Photo: Social media)

Aviation experts believe decisions made by the pilots of the Learjet that crashed in Florida on Sunday, killing nine people, may have contributed to the disaster. The aircraft, en route from Texas to the Bahamas, encountered severe weather and went down near a trailer park in Palm Beach County.

Aviation expert Justin Kraab told the New York Post that the pilots should have diverted around the storm system, but instead attempted to escape it by climbing to a higher altitude. According to Kraab, air traffic controllers had cleared them to change course to avoid the dangerous weather.

The co-pilot, 20-year-old Natalia Filgueiras, requested and received clearance to climb from 35,000 to 37,000 feet after reporting ice accumulation on the aircraft. Kraab explained that ice disrupts airflow around the wings and makes it difficult for the plane to remain airborne.

According to Kraab, the attempt to climb above the storm may have accelerated a stall, a condition in which the wings lose their ability to generate lift. The pilots faced a difficult choice: continue climbing and risk the aircraft, or remain in the storm and risk further ice buildup.

Another expert described the weather conditions as a dangerous combination of turbulence, ice and thunderstorms that reached an unusually high altitude of nearly 50,000 feet. He said that once the aircraft began its sharp descent, the pilots may have already lost the ability to regain control.

Among those killed were entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, his wife Helen, their two young children, two family friends and the children's nanny. The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation, and no official cause has been determined.