Videos on social media showed the jet slamming into the ground next to a road and exploding. The pilots reported ice at 10,668m but then reported the plane was descending at a rate of 10,000 feet per minute, which quickly increased to 22,000 feet per minute.
“The weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation,” NTSB board member Tom Chapman said. Maintenance records indicate a cockpit voice recorder was installed on the jet, but investigators do not know whether it was still on board, he added.
The crash left a massive crater by the road near the entrance to a mobile home park, which was partially filled with water because of the severe storms, Chapman said.
“We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact,” he said. “We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site.”
TMZ identified the passengers as a Texas tech entrepreneur and his family, a nanny and two close friends, along with two pilots.
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