NTSB finds key Learjet parts miles from Florida crash site

Investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) say crucial components of a private jet that crashed in Palm Beach, Florida, were discovered between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the crash site. The Learjet came down on Sunday, killing all nine people on board.

NTSB board member Tom Chapman said the agency recovered most of the aircraft's left elevator, a tail control surface responsible for the plane's nose movements, in three separate pieces. He said the distance between the debris and the crash site indicated the parts had detached before the jet went down.

Chapman said the discovery was an important clue guiding further investigation into the cause of the crash. Officials are still trying to determine whether the loss of the left elevator caused the plane to nosedive, or whether aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft caused the part to break away.