Months before the deadly Learjet 60 crash in Florida, crew members onboard the same plane had a hauntingly similar exchange with air traffic control.
Audio of an intense conversation that took place during a flight in May has now resurfaced following the tragic incident that occurred in Palm Beach County on Sunday (1 November).
Reports claim that those in the cockpit were reprimanded by the aviation team on the ground a few months ago after understating the tumultuous conditions they were experiencing and making unapproved altitude adjustments.
Audio obtained by investigators who are currently probing Sunday's plane crash has so far proved pivotal in piecing together what might have gone wrong in the skies.
Nine people were killed when the Learjet 60 suddenly hurtled nose-first into a residential area before exploding into a fireball upon impact – leaving a 'crater-like' hole in the street.
Tributes have been pouring in for the passengers and crew travelling on the plane – including tech tycoon Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children Emma, four, and Charlie, two.
The children's nanny Anita Maria Cetina and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, were also onboard the private plane when it smashed into the ground.
Pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, was at the helm of the aircraft alongside his 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Filgueiras, who got her pilot license while she was still in high school.
Florida has been left reeling from the tragic events that unfolded over the weekend, which Governor Ron DeSantis described as 'cataclysmic'.
He appeared to reference shocking dashcam footage that captured the moment the Learjet slammed into the earth and burst into flames, saying: "It looked like a missile going down."
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched an investigation into the crash.
As Americans search for answers and aviation experts continue to share their theories, people have also been looking into previous flights that the Learjet 60 has taken.
The same aircraft that was obliterated on Sunday – sporting the FAA registration N722BD – was also the subject of a charged exchange with air traffic control several months ago.
The identities of the crew members heard during this audio have not been confirmed and there is no suggestion that the female heard talking is Filgueiras.
An air traffic controller contacted those flying the Learjet to confirm why they 'were climbing' in altitude as the plane passed over Newark in New Jersey, according to the Daily Mail.
A woman in the cockpit then responded saying: "We are just about to call you, we are experiencing moderate [turbulence] and unable to hold altitude."
The operator then quickly corrected the pilot and said sternly: "That is not moderate, descend to 4,000 [feet] immediately. If you cant maintain altitude that is not moderate, that is severe turbulence.
"Are you experiencing severe turbulence?"
A man and a woman were then both heard telling the air traffic controller, 'Affirmative sir', before they clarified that there were 'no injuries' onboard.
The identities of those heard in the audio currently remain a mystery.
On Sunday, the Learjet was supposed to be heading to the Bahamas after departing from Austin, Texas – but tragically, it never made it to the intended destination.
Former NFL star Joe Mixon has now told how he flew on the Learjet 60 involved in the crash just 'last month', with 'those same two pilots'.
He described Gregory and Filgueiras as 'incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people', adding: "Hearing the young woman's story and learning about the bright future she had ahead of her makes it even more heartbreaking that her life was cut so short."
The 30-year-old sports star said his 'heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to the grieving families and loved ones of everyone on board'.
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