An aviation expert has questioned whether air traffic control directions gave pilots of the Learjet involved in the Palm Beach plane crash the safest route through severe weather.
JP Dice, a corporate pilot and meteorologist, said the crew had been permitted to turn left but warned against turning right because of other aircraft in the area. However, he said conditions may have been worse to the left, while a right-hand turn could have offered a clearer path through the storm.
Dice said pilots are generally expected to follow air traffic control instructions, but can declare an emergency in dangerous conditions and alter course. Controllers would then work to move other aircraft out of the way, he explained.
The Learjet 60 was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas on Sunday when it crashed in Palm Beach County. All nine people on board were killed.
Air traffic control audio recorded the crew reporting ice and turbulence before asking to climb to a higher altitude. The aircraft subsequently lost altitude and crashed.
Dice also raised concerns about supercooled water droplets, which can freeze on contact with an aircraft and potentially overwhelm its ice protection systems.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said there were signs the aircraft may have started breaking apart before impact. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash.
Dice has not claimed that a right turn would have prevented the tragedy, but his assessment has raised questions about whether the pilots had a safer option during the final moments of the flight.
