OVER DEZE AFLEVERING
A Learjet 60 flying from Texas to the Bahamas encounters dangerous weather over Florida. The crew reports turbulence and icing, requests a climb, and moments later the airplane plunges toward the ground at more than 30,000 feet per minute. Nine people are killed.
What went wrong?
In this episode of Miles Ahead, veteran science and aviation journalist Miles O'Brien talks with John, an experienced airline transport pilot, to reconstruct the final minutes of the flight and explore the questions investigators must answer.
Could icing have compromised the aircraft's wings or tail? Why did the crew descend from 41,000 to 35,000 feet? What caused pieces of the elevator to separate in flight? And how do pilots recognize when a series of seemingly reasonable decisions is leading them into danger?
The conversation also explores the role of the 20-year-old first officer, cockpit teamwork, and a haunting possibility: Could a weather deviation adding just five or ten minutes have changed the outcome?
The NTSB investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the crash has not been determined. This is an exploration of the science, the decisions, and the lessons aviation may ultimately learn from this tragedy.
