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Bilawal Sidhu publishes a sourced replay of the Florida Learjet crash

Bilawal Sidhu synchronized public flight data, weather, imagery and uncut ATC audio in a real-time crash replay. A sourced YouTube version accompanies an update drawing on the Nov. 2 NTSB briefing.

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Bilawal Sidhu publishes a sourced replay of the Florida Learjet crash
Bilawal Sidhu publishes a sourced replay of the Florida Learjet crash

TL;DR

  • Bilawal Sidhu synchronized flight tracking, weather, imagery and radio traffic in a real-time Florida Learjet crash replay, as detailed in his release post.
  • A full-length YouTube edition includes chapters and sources, according to his announcement.
  • Weather and possible in-flight breakup remain investigation leads; the cause was still undetermined in his Nov. 2 update.

God's Eye View was open-sourced on Aug. 25, months before this reconstruction. Its browser-based globe includes a cinematic camera-tour director and a cockpit view that follows tracked aircraft.

Six sources on one clock

The Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County on Nov. 1 while flying from Austin to the Bahamas, killing all nine aboard, according to Radar Contact's account.

Short footage of the fall circulated in an early thread. Sidhu traced the descent from approximately 35,000 feet to impact in 78 seconds in his first reconstruction, synchronizing six source types:

  • Public ADS-B flight-tracking data
  • Weather radar
  • Satellite imagery
  • Air traffic control audio
  • Dashcam footage
  • Drone video

Uncut radio and the YouTube edition

Sidhu initially said he had omitted the complete ATC recording because it was too difficult to listen to. After requests for the uncut reconstruction, he published a roughly three-minute replay with a viewer-discretion warning.

Content warning: the following replay includes distressing emergency radio traffic and crash imagery.

The reconstruction's strongest editorial choice is letting the crew's radio traffic set the pace. Sidhu also linked a full-length YouTube edition with chapters and source references in his follow-up.

The Nov. 2 NTSB briefing

NTSB board member Tom Chapman described the crew's communications at the Nov. 2 briefing, according to Radar Contact's briefing account:

  1. At approximately 35,000 feet, the crew reported light clear ice and moderate turbulence, with altitude deviations of about 700 feet.
  2. After reporting precipitation, they received clearance to climb to 37,000 feet.
  3. Less than 30 seconds later, they reported descending, followed by a mayday and an overspeed call.

Investigators also reported some evidence of breakup before impact, a debris field roughly half a mile long, and one person on the ground with a leg injury.

Sidhu described the jet as flying into thunderstorms in his update; Chapman said it was too early to establish whether it had flown through a thunderstorm. The cause remained undetermined.

Retention.com founder Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two children and their caregiver were among those killed, according to a tribute from aakashgupta, who had interviewed Robinson for his podcast.

Impact-speed estimates

Public posts attached sharply different speed figures to the footage:

  • LinusEkenstam initially estimated impact at 800 to 1,000 mph, then corrected his figure to 742 mph using a dashboard's descent-rate readout.
  • aakashgupta estimated approximately 240 mph downward in a later post.

ADS-B broadcasts can drop out or produce odd values during extreme maneuvers, Radar Contact explains. Its account notes that the NTSB had not confirmed the public flight-path figures as of Nov. 2.

Code access and imagery rights

God's Eye View starts locally without API keys, according to its GitHub README. Photorealistic 3D requires a Cesium ion token for eligible personal, non-commercial use or a Google Maps key for the metered route, subject to provider terms and quotas.

The project's data-source register separates software rights from asset rights: the MIT license covers the code only. Third-party data and visual assets retain their providers' licenses and terms.

Further reading

Discussion across the web

Where this story is being discussed, in original context.

On X· 5 threads
TL;DR1 post
Six sources on one clock2 posts
Uncut radio and the YouTube edition3 posts
The Nov. 2 NTSB briefing1 post
Impact-speed estimates2 posts
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