Investigators recover voice recorder from Florida jet crash

Recorder found at crash site

The National Transportation Safety Board posted a statement confirming the recovery of the device on Monday. Photos show the orange-painted metal shell appears to be in decent shape according to an aviation safety expert. Jeff Guzzetti told the Associated Press that it is very plausible any information survived inside the unit. The agency is currently evaluating the device at a laboratory in Washington.

Pilot communications and weather

Air traffic control transmissions recorded pilots realizing their fate as the aircraft plunged nose-first into the ground. Witnesses captured dramatic video of the business jet slamming into the earth amid severe weather conditions. According to the co-pilot, the aircraft experienced vertical movements exceeding 700ft while encountering turbulence, a fact relayed to controllers. Officials from Upper Jets, the airline that ran the flight, will be interviewed and their maintenance files examined by investigators.

Tail parts found far away

According to investigators, fragments of the tail's elevator component were discovered over a mile distant from the primary crater. This discovery confirms the plane started to break apart before impact with the ground. The NTSB has roughly 400 workers pursuing more than 1,200 active investigations at this time. Generally it takes 12 to 18 months for the board to complete a crash investigation.