Experienced Pilot Suggests Critical Detail May Have Been Missed Before Florida Learjet Crash

The investigation into the Florida Learjet crash that killed nine people is continuing, but an experienced airline pilot has now shared a theory about what may have happened in the aircraft’s final minutes.

Captain Steeeve, a pilot who previously flew for American Airlines, believes the crew may have encountered a potentially dangerous weather situation that they were unable to identify or avoid in time.

However, authorities have not confirmed this explanation, and the exact cause of the disaster remains unknown.

The Learjet 60 was travelling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday.

At approximately 12:50 p.m., the aircraft suddenly began losing altitude before plunging toward a highway. The impact caused a massive fireball, left a large crater in the road and scattered debris across the surrounding area.

All nine people aboard died, including a family of four, their nanny, 55-year-old captain Jeff Gregory and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueira.

Possible contributing factors being examined include severe weather, icing and turbulence.

Pilot questions whether the crew could see the approaching storm

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Captain Steeeve examined the air traffic control recording and highlighted a moment when the co-pilot changed radio frequencies and contacted another air traffic controller.

The pilot suggested that the aircraft might not yet have appeared on the new controller’s radar screen. If that was the case, the controller may have had difficulty identifying the Learjet’s position and warning the crew about the weather ahead.

“I’m not sure he can see that thunderstorm they’re about to fly into,” Captain Steeeve said while discussing the recording.

He also examined radar footage that appeared to show the aircraft heading toward an area marked in yellow and red, colours associated with thunderstorms.

The expert suggested that this could have been an important factor if the pilots did not have a clear picture of the weather conditions in front of them.

Questions raised about the aircraft’s control

Captain Steeeve also focused on the co-pilot’s reported description of the aircraft’s movement shortly before the crash.

According to his analysis of the air traffic control recording, she described the plane as moving approximately 700 feet above or below its intended altitude.

He questioned whether the aircraft was still fully controllable under those conditions.

“If you can’t maintain altitude plus or minus 700 ft, you don’t really have full aircraft controllability,” he explained.

He acknowledged that pilots can assess turbulence differently, but suggested that such significant altitude variations could indicate an extremely difficult situation for the crew.

The recording reportedly captures the situation deteriorating before the co-pilot issued a Mayday call.

Could severe icing have played a role?

Another possibility raised by Captain Steeeve was severe icing.

He explained that ice accumulating on critical parts of an aircraft can interfere with airflow over the wings, reducing the lift required to remain airborne.

If ice builds up sufficiently, an aircraft may struggle to maintain altitude and could begin descending rapidly.

The pilot suggested that this possibility might help explain the sequence of events heard in the final air traffic control communications.

He also discussed the possibility that an onboard weather radar problem could have made it more difficult for the crew to identify dangerous conditions.

However, he stressed that there is currently no evidence confirming that the Learjet’s radar system had failed.

Investigators will need to examine the aircraft’s wreckage, available flight data and other evidence before determining whether any of these factors contributed to the accident.

For now, the suggestions made by Captain Steeeve remain theories rather than established findings.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet announced an official cause for the crash.