MIAMI — The crew of the Learjet plane that crashed into a Palm Beach County neighborhood, killing all nine people on board, began reporting light ice and turbulence about a minute before the aircraft plummeted to the ground, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Monday.

The plane took off from Austin, Texas, at 10:40 a.m. Sunday on its way to Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The pilot and co-pilot were in contact with air traffic controllers along the route, flying at 35,000 feet, NTSB member Tom Chapman told reporters during a briefing Monday in Palm Beach County.

The crew told air traffic controllers that they were experiencing light ice and “moderate” turbulence at 12:47 p.m. flying over Palm Beach County, Chapman said, adding the temperature outside the aircraft was minus 53 degrees.

“Very soon after,” Chapman said the crew radioed that they were “picking up precipitation” and requested permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to climb to 37,000 feet. Less than 30 seconds later, the crew issued a “mayday” call and said they were descending, Chapman said.

At 12:48 p.m., the co-pilot radioed, “We are in an overspeed condition. Descending,” with the rest of the message “unintelligible,” Chapman said.

The plane crashed shortly before 1 p.m. No one on the ground was hurt or killed, but the area remains closed and dozens of residents had to move from their homes because of the debris field and investigation.

A company called Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet, owns the plane, Chapman said.

Tech entrepreneur, wife, small children on plane

The passengers were Texas tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma, 4, Charlie, 2, the Robinson’s friends Rachel Reed and Charmi Fehr, and the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina.

The families issued a joint statement on social media late Monday afternoon asking “for privacy as we grieve.”

“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives. Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return.

Helen Sharp and Adam Robinson hold their children Charlie, 2, and Emma, 4, in a photo the family released on social media.

Nanny among the victims

“Anita Maria cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family. She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion,” the families’ statement said.

Couple’s two friends on plane

“Charmi and Rachel were full of joy and adventure. They loved their people fiercely, fully and without hesitation. From the moment they met, they were all in on each other and the life they were building. They are deeply loved, and we will miss them endlessly.”

The two pilots also died in the crash.

The New York Post identified the captain of the Learjet 60 as 55-year-old Jeff Gregory. His co-pilot was 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras of Boca Raton, identified by her family.

Chapman, the NTSB investigator at the scene, also weighed in about the loss of lives.

“I want to express our profound condolences to all the family and friends of those lost in this tragedy,” Chapman said. “We are truly sorry for your loss.”

About 20 NTSB investigators arrived in Palm Beach County Sunday night, with more, including Chapman, arriving Monday.

Timothy Monville, NTSB investigator in charge, said the inquiry will include finding the pieces of the plane that fell off before the crash, examining the impact crater and speaking to witnesses.

He cautioned that the probable cause of the crash would not be released while investigators are on the ground.

Weather concerns

The plane went down amid a barrage of severe thunderstorms that raged across South Florida Sunday morning and into the afternoon. Flight experts say weather was likely a factor in the crash and that the captain should have delayed the flight after seeing the forecast.

“I’ve been doing this for 40 years. I would not have been flying in South Florida yesterday,” said Matthew “Whiz” Buckley, who has flown professionally, first as a Navy F-18 Hornet aviator and then commercially for FedEx and American Airlines.

“I guarantee you that taking off out of Austin yesterday, they saw the weather in Florida. This isn’t hard,” Buckley, 57, told the Miami Herald. “If there’s any doubt, there’s no doubt.”

‘It was like a bomb had dropped’

A crowd of onlookers began forming early Monday afternoon nearly 24 hours after the jet crashed onto a road in a residential neighborhood near Greenacres.

Deputies and firefighters blocked off large swaths of Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue, preventing some residents from accessing their nearby homes and cars. The area is usually a busy stretch, with a mix of residences and businesses a few miles west of Interstate 95.

One woman standing outside police tape wondered how she would drive to her shift at a nearby hospital. A father and his two children recounted what they heard and saw to officers investigating the scene.

One resident, who lives in a trailer about a block from the crash site, said he and his neighbors heard and witnessed the plane crashing into the ground.

“It was like a bomb had dropped,” said Arturo, who did not give a last name. “If I hadn’t seen the plane,” he said in Spanish, “I would have told you it was a bomb.”

The plane went down in a densely populated working-class area of Palm Beach County, just a few miles from President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

Shortly after the crash, hundreds of residents were evacuated and brought to a nearby shelter, said Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel G. Flores at a news briefing Monday.

The crash took place on a main road that passes a strip mall where many local businesses are now closed until further notice.

County officials said businesses in the area might be closed for “quite some time,” and they are working to ask the governor for additional funding.

“We are in a state of emergency from a county perspective” said Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo.

County officials said that evacuations are taking place mainly because evidence in the area needs to be preserved. There’s also a precaution over safety.

“There’s evidence everywhere. The evidence has to be collected, that’s paramount in this investigation,” Abruzzo said. “I don’t believe we feel that anything is going to explode at this point.”