Upper Jets became a widely searched name after a Learjet 60 crashed in Greenacres, Florida, on November 1, 2026, killing all nine people aboard. Many readers now want to know who is behind the charter company. The honest answer is that its ultimate owners have not been publicly confirmed.
This article sets out what is confirmed, what public records show, and what is still unknown as of November 4, 2026. The investigation is active, so details may change.
The Short Answer: Who Owns Upper Jets?
Upper Jets is a trade name of Aurora Aviation, Inc., a charter operator based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to the NTSB as reported by CNN. The crashed jet, registration N722BD, is listed in FAA registry records as owned by a separate Delaware company, LR60271 LLC.
None of the mainstream reports reviewed for this article names the people or investors who control either company. Until that changes, any claim about a single “owner” of Upper Jets should be treated as unverified.
Ownership and Key Parties Table
| Party | Role | Status | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Aviation, Inc. (dba Upper Jets) | Operator of the flight | Confirmed by NTSB | Fort Lauderdale charter company; reported to operate under FAA Part 135 |
| LR60271 LLC | Registered owner of N722BD | Confirmed by FAA records | Delaware company with a Wilmington address |
| Upper Jets LLC | Florida company | Public filing | Filed July 2, 2018; A&A Capital, Inc. listed as manager |
| Upper Jets Maintenance LLC | Florida company | Public filing | Filed August 9, 2018; A&A Capital, Inc. listed as authorized member |
| A&A Capital, Inc. | Manager or member in state filings | Link shown in filings only | Its role in owning Aurora Aviation has not been confirmed |
| People behind these companies | Beneficial owners | Not publicly confirmed | No official source has identified them |
| Thomas Noetzel | Director of Operations | Company spokesperson | Issued a public statement on November 2 |
| NTSB | Lead investigator | Active | Cause has not been determined |
Operator vs. Registered Owner: Why the Names Differ
Many people assume the company flying a plane also owns it. In private aviation the two are often different. The registered owner holds title to the aircraft, while the operator holds the certificate to carry passengers and is responsible for crews, maintenance, and procedures.
That explains why coverage reads differently. The NTSB named Aurora Aviation as the operator, and FAA records list LR60271 LLC as the owner. Some outlets, such as a PEOPLE report carried by Yahoo, described Upper Jets as the firm that owned the jet. Our earlier explainer on N722BD covers the registry details.
Holding a jet through a single-purpose company is very common. N888KG, a Bombardier Challenger 300, is registered the same way to its own LLC. Delaware is popular because owner names do not have to appear in public filings, and well-known companies such as SpaceX are also incorporated there.
What Florida Business Filings Show
Florida records list two companies with the Upper Jets name. Upper Jets LLC was filed on July 2, 2018, and Upper Jets Maintenance LLC was filed on August 9, 2018, both in Miami Beach.
Those filings list a Miami Beach firm, A&A Capital, Inc., as manager of the first company and authorized member of the second. They do not say how these entities relate to Aurora Aviation, who owns them, or whether they had any role in the flight. You can check the originals through Florida’s Sunbiz database.
Similarly named businesses also appear in commercial directories, and some may be unrelated. Readers should be careful about connecting company names without documents.
What the Company Says It Does
Upper Jets presents itself on its website as an all-in-one private aviation provider. It lists on-demand worldwide air charter, executive aircraft management, maintenance, and aircraft sales among its services.
A pilot-recruiting directory listing from earlier this year described a small fleet of Learjet 60s and a Falcon 50 based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Fleet details can change, so treat that listing as a snapshot rather than a current count.
What Part 135 Means
A Part 135 certificate allows a company to carry passengers on charter flights under FAA rules. Operators must meet standards for pilot training, maintenance, and flight procedures, and the FAA oversees them. AIN reported that the crashed jet was flying under Part 135.
The FAA can also act at a much larger scale, as in the American Airlines ground stop earlier this year. For a privately held charter firm, accountability usually runs through the operator, the registered owner, and the NTSB investigation.
What Happened on November 1, 2026
The jet left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It crashed around 12:50 p.m. near Military Trail in Greenacres, Palm Beach County. All nine aboard, two crew and seven passengers, died, and one person on the ground was injured, according to ABC News.
The NTSB said the crew reported light icing and moderate turbulence before an overspeed condition and a rapid descent. CBS12 reported that investigators found pieces of the left elevator 1.3 to 3.8 miles from the crash site. No cause has been determined, and ownership details say nothing about it.
What the Company Has Said
In a statement to PEOPLE on November 2, Director of Operations Thomas Noetzel offered condolences to everyone affected. He said the company is cooperating with law enforcement and the NTSB.
What Is Still Unknown
Several questions remain open: who ultimately owns Aurora Aviation, who controls LR60271 LLC, and how the Florida Upper Jets companies connect to the operator. Aurora Aviation is not known to be publicly traded, so it has no obligation to disclose its shareholders.
The NTSB is the best source for confirmed updates, and a preliminary report is typically expected within about 30 days. Because this is a developing news story, the Wikipedia crash page also tracks confirmed details as they emerge.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Upper Jets?
Upper Jets is a trade name of Aurora Aviation, Inc., and its owners have not been publicly confirmed.
Q2. Who owns Learjet N722BD?
FAA records list LR60271 LLC, a Delaware company, as the registered owner.
Q3. Who operated the November 1 flight?
The NTSB said it was operated by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jets.
Q4. Where is Upper Jets based?
It is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Q5. What is a Part 135 operator?
It is a company certified by the FAA to carry passengers on charter flights under federal safety rules.
Q6. Has the cause of the crash been determined?
No, the NTSB has not determined a probable cause.
Q7. Who is investigating the crash?
The NTSB leads the investigation, with support from the FAA.
Q8. Is Upper Jets the same as Upper Jets LLC in Florida records?
That has not been confirmed, because they are separate legal entities and the filings alone do not explain the link.
Upper Jets is the trade name of Aurora Aviation, Inc., the Fort Lauderdale charter operator the NTSB named for the November 1 flight. The aircraft itself is registered to LR60271 LLC in Delaware, and the people behind both companies have not been publicly identified.
Florida filings show separate Upper Jets companies tied to a Miami Beach management firm, but they do not prove who owns the operator or the jet. Until the NTSB, the FAA, or the companies confirm more, the responsible answer is that the ultimate owners of Upper Jets are not publicly known.
Official website: upperjets.com
