Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have located the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the Learjet 55 that crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, 2025. The CVR was found eight feet beneath the primary impact point. The NTSB also retrieved the aircraft's enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), which may contain additional flight data. Both devices are being sent to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C. for analysis. The recovery effort also includes securing both engines. The remaining wreckage will be transported to a secure facility in Delaware for further examination.

This image, provided by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, shows a black box similar to the one on the aircraft involved in the Philadelphia crash. (Jet Rescue Air Ambulance)

Flight data recorders and CVRs are vital for accident investigations, helping officials understand the sequence of events leading to a crash. These bright orange devices are typically placed in the tail section of the plane, the area designed to withstand impact the best.

Emergency responders at the scene of the plane crash in Philadelphia on January 31, 2025. (Matt Rourke)

The aircraft, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, was en route to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri. The six Mexican nationals on board included four crew members, a young patient, and the child's mother. Tragically, a person in a car on the ground also perished in the fiery crash, bringing the total number of fatalities to seven, with 22 others injured. Authorities are still searching for 38-year-old Jason Rodriguez, who was reportedly shopping in the area at the time of the incident.

Investigators at the crash site the following day, February 1, 2025. (Matt Rourke)

The scene near Roosevelt Boulevard and the Roosevelt Mall after the plane crash on January 31, 2025. (Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer)