The Eyrie

GREENACRES, FL — A family of eight is still unable to return home nearly two weeks after a Learjet crash sent aircraft wreckage and chunks of roadway into their mobile home community. Three relatives were on the front porch when the jet slammed into Military Trail, and their attorney says it is remarkable they survived.

New photos and video shared by aviation attorney Mariano Garcia show the extent of the damage to the home, which sits about 50 feet from the crash crater. Garcia said the county has already declared the residence unsafe to occupy, and the family is now living in temporary housing while they figure out what comes next.

Debris from the crash tore through the home and porch

Garcia said large pieces of aircraft wreckage, along with asphalt and concrete blasted from the roadway, struck the mobile home after the Nov. 1 crash. Some of the debris punched completely through the structure, leaving visible holes in walls and damage throughout the property.

On the front porch, he found a large opening and a slab of sidewalk about six inches thick. He described the scene as looking like the aftermath of an explosion just outside the house. The family lives there with a husband and wife, their four children and the children’s maternal grandparents, including a 1-year-old child.

Four family members were inside when the plane went down, three were outside and one was on the way home. Garcia said the damage is so extensive that the home appears to be a total loss, though engineers are expected to inspect the property next week to assess the full impact.

Nine people aboard the Learjet died in the crash

The Learjet 60 crash killed all nine people aboard, including 20-year-old copilot Nathalia Filgueiras of Boca Raton. The destruction did not stop at the aircraft itself, however, and the nearby mobile home community was left dealing with damage, fear and emotional shock.

Garcia said the family on the porch narrowly avoided being hit by the debris field. He said the crash scene made an especially strong impression because of how close the wreckage came to the home and how much force was carried into the neighborhood. The mobile home sits only a short distance from where the crater was left in the road.

Children and parents are still dealing with the trauma

Beyond the property damage, Garcia said the family is struggling with the emotional toll of watching and hearing such a violent event unfold so close to them. He said the children heard the explosion and felt the impact, and their mother has reported that they are now sleeping in her bed because they are having trouble resting on their own.

Family members have also sought medical attention after inhaling residue from the explosion, Garcia said. He added that other residents in the nearby mobile home community have described similar distress, including trouble sleeping after seeing aircraft debris and human remains scattered in the area.

For the family, the crash has become a daily disruption rather than a single shocking moment. Garcia said they are trying to hold onto some sense of normal life while coping with fear, damaged property and the uncertainty of what happens to their home next.

A charity-funded Airbnb is keeping the family off the street

The family is currently staying in an Airbnb paid for by a charity while Garcia works to secure longer-term help. He said he has been in contact with an attorney representing the charter company that operated the Learjet, and the company has begun providing financial assistance for housing arrangements.

Garcia said his immediate goal is to help the family regain stability before turning to litigation. He said the priority now is finding practical support, especially housing, so the household can begin recovering from the crash and the loss of its home.

He also said his firm has begun helping other nearby families. The practice has been retained by three families living near the crash site and has received a possible fourth inquiry, with damage ranging from repairable homes to one that may be lost entirely.

Investigators are still working to determine why the jet crashed

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what caused the Learjet to go down, and no official cause has been announced. Garcia said his firm plans to review maintenance and operational records as the investigation continues and more facts become available.

He said he has handled aviation cases before, including one involving a plane that crashed into a mobile home near Lantana Airport and killed a young college student. That earlier case came to mind immediately when he saw how close this crash came to homes in Greenacres.

When he visited Thursday, Garcia said the crater had already been filled and Military Trail repaved. Even so, the damage in the mobile home community remains visible, and for one family it means an uncertain future, a disrupted routine and the struggle to rebuild after a near disaster.