Ep. 166 - Palm Beach Learjet Crash: A TOPGUN Pilot’s Debrief

On November 1st, a Learjet 60 bound for the Bahamas fell from the sky over Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board, including two young children. Within hours, social media filled with conspiracy theories, bad information, and armchair experts. In this episode of Max Afterburner, Matthew “Whiz” Buckley cuts through the noise. Drawing on 40 years as a private, commercial, military, and airline pilot, including time as a TOPGUN-trained F/A-18 pilot, Whiz debriefs the crash the way aviators debrief every flight: with facts, discipline, and no agenda. He walks through what investigators have confirmed and what they haven’t, dismantles the rumors spreading online, and explains why experienced aviators start talking about possible causes right away. It isn’t gossip. It’s how pilots learn, so the next crew comes home. Whiz also addresses the hardest truth in aviation: one person holds final authority and final responsibility for every flight, and that’s the pilot in command. He closes with a few words on the election. Not politics, prayer: for the country, and for the incoming Democrats to find common ground with Republicans. And he explains why he votes on a single issue: healing our heroes here at home. If you have questions about this tragedy, this is the episode to listen to. Straight talk from someone who has lived in the cockpit for four decades. Our prayers are with the families of the nine souls lost. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.