Cockpit voice recorder recovered from Florida jet crash that killed nine

Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a business jet that crashed in Florida on Nov. 1, killing all nine people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board announced Monday that the device had been found at the crash site, where the Bahamas-bound Learjet struck the ground and burst into flames during severe weather.

The recorder is undergoing evaluation at a laboratory in Washington. Whether it sustained damage or was operating during the flight was not immediately clear. If usable audio can be retrieved, it could reveal conversations between the pilots as the aircraft encountered turbulence, ice accumulated on its wings and they lost control.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told The Associated Press that photographs released by the NTSB showed the recorder’s orange metal casing appearing to be in relatively good condition. He said information stored inside could plausibly have survived and would be valuable to investigators if it came from the accident flight. However, an intact recorder does not necessarily contain a recording of the crash.

Guzzetti pointed to the investigation of a medical transport aircraft that crashed in Philadelphia in January 2025, killing seven people. Investigators recovered that plane’s cockpit voice recorder, but the device was believed to have been out of operation for several years.

Witness videos show the Learjet descending nose-first toward the ground, while recorded air traffic control communications capture the pilots’ realization of their situation. Cockpit audio could help investigators understand additional details, including why the aircraft appeared to avoid a large storm cell before flying directly into a smaller one that was developing rapidly.

During the flight, the co-pilot reported to controllers that the aircraft was being tossed vertically by more than 700 feet, or 213 meters. She requested a better route through the area. Investigators have also established that the aircraft began breaking apart before reaching the ground: fragments of the elevator, a tail component that controls pitch, were located more than a mile from the main impact crater.

The investigation will include an examination of the aircraft’s maintenance records and any previous problems. Investigators also plan to interview officials at Upper Jets, which operated the flight, along with air traffic controllers and employees at the airport in Austin, Texas, where the flight originated.

NTSB crash investigations generally take between 12 and 18 months to complete, although more complex cases can require additional time. The agency has about 400 employees and is handling more than 1,200 active investigations.