A private plane bound for the Bahamas crashed near Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, November 1, killing all nine people on board. The victims have been identified — including two young children and a 20-year-old co-pilot.
RELATED: Prayers Up! 12 People Reportedly Killed After Skydiving Plane Crashes In Missouri (PHOTOS)
Families Identify Palm Beach Plane Crash Victims
A private plane bound for the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County on Sunday, according to WPBF. All nine people onboard the aircraft died, including two children and a 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueira. Nathalia reportedly got her pilot’s license when she was just 17. Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, who was reportedly piloting the plane, also died, per TMZ. All seven passengers onboard also died — including two young children.
Adam Robinson, 45, and his 40-year-old wife, Helen Sharp, both died with their two children — Emma, 4, and two-year-old Charlie. Robinson was on his way to the Bahamas to celebrate his birthday, per the New York Post. He’d chartered the jet for his family, nanny, and two friends to go on a week-long vacation. Anita Maria Cetina, the children’s young nanny, also perished in the crash. Another couple was also on board the private plane and perished— Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, according to USA Today.
Stay Connected
Subscribe to updates from The Shade Room
The Learjet 60 reportedly departed from Austin, Texas, and crashed near Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North after experiencing an emergency. The jet erupted into flames after hitting the pavement at approximately 12:50 p.m.
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office hasn’t officially released the names because the medical examiner’s office is still gathering the victims’ DNA, per WOND.
Private Plane Explodes After Nosedive Into Pavement
The private plane crashed in Palm Beach County after experiencing an emergency. Tom Chapman of the National Transportation Safety Board says that the aircraft may have been falling apart before impact, per ABC News.
“We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact, and so some of this is yet to be determined,” said Chapman. “We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said that the aircraft hit the ground at 350 feet per second. The plane reportedly began a rapid descent at 35,000 feet and called air traffic control to report a “moderate turbulence” emergency. Chapman added that weather may have been a factor, as the pilots complained of “light clear ice” on the plane at approximately 12:27 p.m. However, they also reported that the conditions were manageable.
“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” radioed the pilot.
Dash Cam Footage Caught Moment Plane Crashed
The pilots reportedly reported that moderate turbulence was causing the plane to deviate in altitude at 35,000 feet. Subsequently, they requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet. However, less than 30 seconds later, they placed the Mayday call.
“Less than 30 seconds later, the airplane transmitted, ‘We are in an overspeed condition, descending…,’ with the rest unintelligible,” said Chapman. “Subsequent communications described that the airplane was descending rapidly and gave an altitude callout.”
Nathalia radioed:
“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute. We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute… We’re going to crash into the ground.”
Disturbing footage captured the Learjet 60 crashing into the pavement and exploding. Afterward, at least 600 people were evacuated from the nearby Cresthaven mobile home park. In addition, debris from the crash was found a half-mile away. An investigation is currently underway and is expected to take months.
