NTSB Wraps Up Most On-Scene Work at the Greenacres Learjet 60 Crash and Sends Parts to Its Washington Labs

The NTSB has finished its on-scene work at the N722BD Learjet 60 crash near Greenacres, Florida, except for the excavation of the impact site, the agency said on Sunday evening, November 8, 2026. Investigators have now recovered components from both engines, both wings and the flight deck, and some parts have gone to the NTSB’s laboratories in Washington, D.C.

The jet, which tracking and registry data identify as N722BD, crashed on Military Trail on November 1, killing all nine people aboard.

What the NTSB said on Sunday

Investigators have cleared five areas around the crash site, the agency said in an update on its investigation page and on X. They are the Green Acres Mobile Home Community, Reading Truck, Silver Oaks Plaza, Value Store It Self Storage and John I. Leonard High School.

The recovered and identified wreckage now includes parts of both wings and both engines, the flight deck, the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, the left elevator, sections of the ailerons and several flap track assemblies, according to the NTSB.

That is a wider list than four days earlier. On November 5, when crews had just started digging out the crater, the agency reported only a portion of one engine from the excavation, plus debris on nearby roofs.

The NTSB did not say which of the parts came from the crater and which were picked up elsewhere, or which ones were sent to Washington. It also gave no end date for the excavation.

Why the parts list matters

On November 3, NTSB Member Tom Chapman said most of the left elevator, the part of the tail that controls pitch, was found in three pieces between 1.3 and 3.8 miles (2 and 6 km) from the crash site. The Associated Press reported that the find confirmed the jet was breaking apart before impact.

When an aircraft may have come apart in the air, the pieces that broke away are some of the most important evidence. Recovering the tail surfaces, parts of both wings and both engines gives investigators the material to work out what was still attached at impact and what was not.

The parts sent to Washington are there for closer inspection, the NTSB said. It has not said what tests are planned, and it has not named a cause or said why the elevator separated.

The Learjet 60 was flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The NTSB says it was operated by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet.

The county extends its emergency

Palm Beach County extended its State of Local Emergency on Sunday for another week, the county said in its November 8 update. Its emergency operations center has been activated since November 1 for both the crash and widespread flooding.

County Fire Rescue has been on site around the clock since the crash, supporting the excavation with equipment and crews. Its list of partner agencies at the scene includes the NTSB, the FAA, the FBI, the sheriff’s office and the medical examiner. The update gives no detail on the FBI’s role.

As of that update, Military Trail stays closed between 10th Avenue North and Cresthaven Boulevard, with a detour via 10th Avenue North, Haverhill Road and Cresthaven Boulevard. A shelter for mobile home park residents affected by the crash remains open at the Greenacres Community Center.

The NTSB clearing the mobile home community is an investigative step. Neither the agency nor the county has said in these updates when displaced residents can move back.

What comes next: the preliminary report

The NTSB has not published a date for its preliminary report on this crash. On other recent major cases, its investigation pages say to expect one within 30 days of the accident, which here would point to around the start of December.

That report contains factual information from the early phase of the investigation, not a cause, as a recent preliminary report on another crash showed.

The probable cause and any contributing factors come in the final report. The NTSB aims to finish an investigation within 12 to 24 months, though complex cases can take longer.