GREENACRES, FL. (THECOUNT) — A Texas technology entrepreneur, his wife, their two young children, two family friends and the children’s nanny were among nine people killed Sunday when a private jet crashed in a South Florida residential neighborhood. The two pilots also died in the crash near Greenacres in Palm Beach County.
Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their children, 4-year-old Emma and 2-year-old Charlie, were identified by relatives in a statement posted Monday on Facebook.
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The family’s friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and the children’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, were also aboard the Bahamas-bound Learjet 60.
The pilot was identified as Jeff Gregory, according to a statement from East Coast Jets, a private charter company where he previously worked. The co-pilot was identified by her family as 20-year-old Nathalia G. Filgueiras.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that Captain Jeff Gregory was among those who lost their lives in yesterday’s tragic aviation accident in Palm Beach,” East Coast Jets said. The company extended condolences to Gregory’s family, the other crew member and the passengers.
Filgueiras earned her pilot’s license at 17 and learned to fly from her father, who is also a pilot, according to her family.
The Learjet crashed at approximately 12:50 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, near Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, in the Greenacres area about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The aircraft was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said evidence indicates the aircraft began breaking apart before impact. Debris may be scattered across a wide area around the crash site.
Weather conditions are expected to be a major part of the investigation. One of the pilots reported icing conditions at high altitude during communications with air traffic control. Rain and storms were also affecting the region around the time of the crash. Investigators have not determined what caused the aircraft to go down.
The crash left nearby residents dealing with the aftermath, with hundreds displaced from a mobile home community and some spending the night at a shelter while authorities secured the area and recovered wreckage.
Robinson was the founder and chief executive of several technology companies, according to his LinkedIn profile. The NTSB is leading the investigation, with investigators expected to spend several days documenting the scene and recovering aircraft wreckage.
The crash occurred along Military Trail near the Green Acres Family Community, in the Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres area of Palm Beach County, southeastern Florida. The map identifies the reported crash corridor, not an exact impact pin.
Google Maps: Military Trail crash area near Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North (approximate)
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