In the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board has found most of the left elevator of Learjet 60 N722BD, in three pieces and 1.3 to 3.8 miles from where the aircraft crashed. NTSB Member Tom Chapman said so on Tuesday 3 November at a second media briefing in Palm Beach County, Florida. "The distance from the site indicates that it separated before impact," he said12. The business jet crashed on 1 November on its way from Austin to the Bahamas, and all nine people on board died. We reported earlier on the crash, ice at FL350, the first NTSB briefing and the ATC audio.

Elevator found 1.3 to 3.8 miles away

The pieces were found on Monday, 1.3 to 3.8 miles (2.1 to 6.1 km) from the accident site, and are being kept for analysis13. The elevator is a control surface on the tail that controls the aircraft's pitch, up and down1. On Monday the NTSB already said it had evidence the aircraft began to break up before impact4. Finding the elevator far from the site shows that at least some important components separated before impact, Chapman said1.

What that means is not yet known. Chapman named two possibilities the NTSB will examine: the loss of the elevator caused the loss of control, or the elevator broke off because of the forces on the aircraft during the descent1. At the speed the aircraft was travelling, he was not sure the elevator would have been effective even if it had stayed attached1. "Finding that piece is a very, very significant bit of evidence," he said1.

Crater to be pumped out

The main wreckage lies in the water-filled crater in Military Trail. On Tuesday morning an unstable utility pole was removed so investigators can reach the crater1. The NTSB is working with local public works teams to pump out the water and expects to access the crater from Wednesday. It expects to find critical aircraft components there1. Whether those include the cockpit voice recorder is not yet known. Maintenance records show one was installed4.

Most of the debris consists of very small pieces, Chapman said. The NTSB may later lay out the recovered parts in a facility to reconstruct the shape and position of components. Given the force of the impact, he is not sure how realistic that is1.

Dashcam video, witnesses and records

The NTSB has received dashcam video and accounts from several eyewitnesses that will help it understand the condition of the aircraft and the circumstances of the crash, Chapman said1. Investigators are also gathering maintenance and crew records at other locations1. Weather remains a key focus of the investigation, but Chapman said there is nothing to share on it yet1.

Chapman said there is no evidence of any connection to the Secret Service and that the location of the crash site is coincidental1. The Palm Beach County administrator said the West Palm Beach airport received no interference or reports of interference1.

Last on-site briefing

This was the NTSB's last media briefing on site. Further updates will be posted on the NTSB website and its X account1. Severe storms hampered the work on Monday evening. Chapman said authorities are close to giving residents limited access to their homes1. Everything established so far is collected in the dossier on Learjet 60 N722BD.