Texas tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen and their two children were among the nine people killed when a private Learjet 60 crashed in Florida’s Palm Beach County on Sunday. The family was travelling with their nanny and two friends on a flight from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, according to TMZ. The pilot, Captain Jeff Gregory, and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha were also killed.
What happened?
The Learjet 60 had been flying for about two hours when it crashed into a residential area in Florida. The aircraft reportedly descended at a rate of 20,000 feet per minute before hitting the ground, killing all nine people on board.
Before the crash, the pilot told air traffic controllers that the plane was experiencing moderate turbulence and passing through precipitation.
Audio from air traffic control captured the pilot shouting, “Mayday! Mayday!”
“We’re going to crash into the ground!” she said.
The pilot later said they were “out of time”. It was the final transmission before the aircraft crashed.
Also Read: Moment business jet crashes in Florida, killing all 9 people on board
Parts of jet broke off before crash
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said Monday that the aircraft appeared to have started breaking apart before hitting the ground. He said investigators expect to find some debris scattered far from the crash site.
“We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact,” Chapman said. “We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site.”
Who was co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras?
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was identified as the co-pilot of the aircraft. She obtained her pilot’s licence in 2023 at just 17, while still a student at West Boca Raton Community High School.
According to CBS12, the Palm Beach County School District funded her training through the school’s specialized aviation academy. The program gives students hands-on experience with flight simulators and drones.
“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. I think it’s funny and I now want my (drivers) license really bad,” she told the outlet is 2023.
