Florida Learjet crash: Tail part detached before impact, NTSB says

Officials are investigating what caused a private jet to nose-dive into a residential area in Florida, killing all nine people aboard on Sunday.Federal investigators returned to the scene near Palm Springs on Tuesday to collect scattered wreckage after determining an essential tail control surface separated from the plane before it crashed.NTSB aircraft crash investigationA private business jet traveling from Texas to the Bahamas crashed near a residential Florida area Sunday afternoon, killing nine people aboard and forcing hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate, according to officials. National Transportation Safety Board Member Tom Chapman announced Tuesday that the plane's left elevator broke into pieces and fell between 1.3 to 3.8 miles away from the main crash site. Investigators located the elevator pieces on Monday and say they are using them for technical analysis.The elevator is a tail control surface that dictates the pitch of the airplane, according to the NTSB. The dista