Corporate pilot and meteorologist JP Dice said the crew of the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County may have faced a difficult choice over which way to turn. Speaking on “TMZ Live,” Dice said air traffic control allowed the pilots to turn left but warned them not to turn right because other aircraft were nearby.
Dice said the weather was worse to the left and that a right turn might have offered a clearer route through the storm. He noted that pilots are generally expected to follow air traffic control instructions, but can declare an emergency and change course in dangerous conditions. Controllers can then work to move other aircraft out of the way.
He also pointed to the risk of supercooled water droplets freezing on contact with an aircraft and potentially exceeding the capacity of its ice protection systems.
The Learjet was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard. Air traffic control audio captured the crew reporting ice and turbulence and asking to climb to a higher altitude before the aircraft lost altitude and crashed.
The National Transportation Safety Board has reported signs that the aircraft may have been breaking apart before impact. Investigators have not determined the cause of the crash. Dice did not claim that turning right would have prevented it, but said the circumstances raise questions about whether another option was available to the pilots.
Sources: TMZ.