Jet may have broken apart before Florida crash, officials say, as family named among victims

ByNardine Saad, Kathryn Armstrong and Rachel Flynn. Updated 5 hours ago.

Key points

• The plane crashed on Military Trail, a six-lane road that features businesses and restaurants, at around 12: 50 local time (17: 50 GMT).
• The pilot was named in media reports as 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory, while Nathalia Filgueiras, 20.
• The Learjet 60 had been bound for the Bahamas from Austin, Texas when it nosedived into a multi-lane highway and exploded on impact.
• Robinson described himself on his LinkedIn page as the founder and CEO of RB2B and Retention.com, and the CEO of Moltsets – all technology firms.
• Robinson previously worked at the global financial services business Lehman Brothers and the banking group Barclays.

Investigators believe parts of a private jet that crashed in Florida and killed all nine onboard may have broken off while it was in the air.

Notably, the Learjet 60 had been bound for the Bahamas from Austin, Texas when it nosedived into a multi-lane highway and exploded on impact.

As well as the 20-year-old co-pilot, were among those who died on Sunday, a tech entrepreneur and his young family.

In practice, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) remarked weather conditions would be a major focus of the investigation but that it was struggling to access the wreckage due to the enormous crater created by the jet on the road in Palm Beach.

Notably, the plane crashed on Military Trail, a six-lane road that features businesses and restaurants, at around 12: 50 local time (17: 50 GMT).

"The biggest obstacle that we're going to have is recovering the major wreckage from the impacted crater on the roadway, " lead investigator Tim Monville remarked at a news conference on Monday.

For context, the NTSB remarked the crater, near the entrance to a mobile home park, had become partially filled with water as of severe storms. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms had been documented in the area at the time of the crash.

Debris was scattered throughout sports fields, businesses and homes in the area.

"We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact, " the NTSB's Tom Chapman remarked.

"We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site."

Authorities are additionally trying to find out whether a cockpit voice recorder was onboard at the time of the crash and whether it can be recovered.

Flight analysis indicates that the jet was plummeting hundreds of feet per second before it crashed.

In air traffic control audio recordings, someone in the cockpit can be heard reporting "moderate turbulence" and that the crew was "managing the ice".

They can then be heard saying the plane was "picking up precipitation" and "we need to climb". Moments afterwards, the same voice stated the plane was descending at a rate of 10, 000ft (3, 048m) per minute.

For context, an emergency was declared and they can be heard yelling "we are in an overspeed condition descending 20, 000ft per minute", before saying, "we are going to crash into the ground".

Seven passengers died on board, named in a joint statement as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two children – Emma, four, and Charlie, two – as well as friends of the family Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and nanny Anita Maria Cetina.

For context, the pilot was named in media reports as 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory, while Nathalia Filgueiras, 20. This person earned her pilot's licence when she was 17, was documented to be the co-pilot.

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Robinson and Sharp's family described them as "devoted parents" and remarked their children were "the light of their lives".

"Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making individuals feel welcome touched so numerous lives, " the statement read.

Robinson described himself on his LinkedIn page as the founder and CEO of RB2B and Retention.com, and the CEO of Moltsets – all technology firms. Helen Sharp was an artist, according to media reports.

Robinson previously worked at the global financial services business Lehman Brothers and the banking group Barclays. The BBC has contacted the firms.

For context, the joint statement additionally named nanny Anita Maria Cetina and stated she "cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family".

It continued: "She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion."

Rachel Reed and Charmi Fehr were described in the joint family statement as "full of joy and adventure".

"They loved their individuals fiercely, fully and without hesitation. From the moment they met, they were all in on each other and the life they were building."

Nathalia Filgueiras's mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed to US media that her daughter had died in the crash.

Corteleti informed the New York Times: "She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top."

Filgueiras had spoken of her pride at receiving her pilot's licence while still a senior in high school in an interview with a local affiliate of CBS News in 2023.

"I like being different than everyone, " she remarked. "Some people think that it's weird that I can fly planes but I can't drive a car – I mean, I can, but a lot of people think it's funny."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for East Coast Jets, where pilot Jeff Gregory applied to work, stated: "We are deeply saddened to learn that Capt Jeff Gregory was among those who lost their lives in yesterday's tragic aviation accident in Palm Beach." He was married with two children, US media report.

For now, jet may have broken apart before Florida crash, officials say, as family remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.