NTSB Recovered Cockpit Voice Recorder From Florida Learjet Crash

Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a business jet that crashed in Florida on November 1, killing all nine people on board.

The Bahamas-bound Learjet plummeted from the sky amid severe weather, slamming into the ground and erupting in a fireball, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The agency announced the recovery of the device in a statement posted to social media.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the device is currently being evaluated at a lab in Washington. It remains unknown if the recorder sustained damage or if it was functioning properly during the flight.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press that photos published online show the orange-painted metal shell in decent shape. It’s very plausible that any info on the recorder survived, Guzzetti said. If they can recover it, and it’s from the accident flight, that will be a huge help to investigators.

Guzzetti pointed out that when the National Transportation Safety Board retrieved the cockpit voice recorder from a medical transport plane involved in a January 2025 crash in Philadelphia that resulted in seven fatalities, that unit likely had been inoperable for a period of several years.

Witnesses captured dramatic video as the business jet plunged nose-first into the ground. Air traffic control transmissions recorded the final moments as the pilots realized their fate.

Investigators hope the retrieved unit will shed light on why the Learjet appeared to navigate around a massive storm system only to fly straight into a smaller, fast-forming one. Investigators previously reported that pieces of the elevator, a key part of the tail controlling the plane’s pitch, were found more than a mile away from the main crater, confirming the aircraft started to break apart before impact.

Before the crash, the co-pilot told air traffic controllers that the plane was being thrown up and down more than 700 feet, asking for a better route through the area.

National Transportation Safety Board investigations typically take 12 to 18 months to complete, though complicated cases can take longer. The agency currently has roughly 400 workers pursuing more than 1,200 active investigations.

Investigators plan to review maintenance records and any history of problems with the plane. They will also interview officials at Upper Jets, the company that operated the flight, along with air traffic controllers and personnel at the airport in Austin, Texas, where the flight originated.