Weather conditions and active storms may be a key part of the federal investigation into a deadly private jet crash in South Florida.
The plane was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas on Sunday when it encountered numerous thunderstorms developing over South Florida.
The pilot reported icing and moderate turbulence before the crash, which killed all nine people on board.
An analysis of the flight path alongside archived radar data shows the aircraft flew through a developing thunderstorm.
That storm’s updraft intensified from 25,000 feet to 40,000 feet in just 15 minutes, according to the radar data.
Thunderstorms can create significant turbulence and contain supercooled water, which can quickly freeze and form ice on an aircraft.
Federal investigators will be examining the weather conditions as they work to determine what caused the crash.
While the storm activity and pilot reports provide important context, the role weather may have played has not yet been determined.
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