NTSB says crucial plane parts found three miles from Florida crash site

Crucial components of a private jet that crashed in Palm Beach, Florida - including a part that controlled the up-and-down movements of the nose of the plane - were found 1.3 (2 km) to 3.8 miles away from the crash site, an investigator said on Tuesday.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators said they believed parts of the jet may have broken off before the Sunday crash, which killed all nine on board.

The NTSB found "the majority" of the Learjet's left elevator - a control surface on the tail - in three pieces, NTSB board member Tom Chapman said.

Chapman said because the parts were "quite some distance away" from the site, investigators determined they fell off before impact.

"Knowing that it was lost is a very important piece of evidence in terms of pointing us towards other things to investigate," he said.

He said the part of the plane that controls upward and downward movement may not have been "effective" at the speed the plane was travelling.

The Learjet 60 was bound for the Bahamas from Austin, Texas, when it nosedived into a multi-lane highway and exploded on impact.

In air traffic control audio recordings, someone in the cockpit can be heard reporting "moderate turbulence" and that the crew was "managing the ice".

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)