Family Names All Nine Palm Beach Jet Dead

A family issued a statement on Monday identifying all nine people killed when a private jet crashed into a road in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday. The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it struck the ground around 12:50 p.m. Eastern Time. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that no one aboard survived the impact.

The aircraft carried Adam Robinson, a founder and executive of several technology companies, and his wife, Helen Sharp. Their children, Emma, age 4, and Charlie, age 2, were also aboard. The family stated in a release that the children were the light of their lives. Also on the plane were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina, a caregiver described by the family as having raised the children with devotion. The pilot was Jeff Gregory, and the co-pilot was Nathalia Filgueiras, age 20. East Coast Jets, where Gregory worked from 2016 to 2017, confirmed his death in a separate statement.

The crash occurred in a residential area near a mobile home park in Palm Beach County, about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. Military Trail was closed between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North due to the damage. A large crater formed at the impact site, and fire engulfed the road. Witnesses described the sound as resembling a missile or meteor. Anthony Blackmon, who lived 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and the street caught fire. Roger Forcelle, another resident, reported feeling the aircraft pass overhead and shake his home before the crash less than half a mile away.

Air traffic control recordings obtained by LiveATC.net show the pilot reporting clear ice and moderate turbulence while the jet was flying east at 35,000 feet. The pilot requested an additional 2,000 feet of altitude before declaring an emergency. The aircraft then began a rapid descent. The pilot reported a descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute before updating controllers that the plane was in an overspeed condition, falling at 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot concluded the radio communication with the phrase, 'We are going to hit the ground.' The jet tilted sharply to the right before exploding on impact.

NTSB member Tom Chapman said on Monday that evidence suggests the aircraft began to disintegrate before it hit the road. Debris was scattered over a wide area. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores stated that authorities worked through the night to provide safe housing for approximately 600 people displaced from the mobile home community near the crash site.

The Learjet 60 is a midsize business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace. The aircraft measures 58 feet in length and has a maximum range of just over 2,400 nautical miles. It is designed to carry a crew of two and up to eight passengers. The crash site remains the focus of the investigation as officials continue to gather data from the wreckage.