Nine people, including a Texas tech entrepreneur, his wife, their two young children and the flight crew, were killed when a private jet crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon.
The Learjet 60 departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed near a road in Lake Worth Beach, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The aircraft struck the ground near a multi-lane highway and exploded. Footage circulating on social media showed the jet hitting the ground, exploding into fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating whether ice and turbulence contributed to the crash and whether human error played a role.
Among those killed were tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their children, Emma, four, and Charlie, two. A joint statement issued by some of the victims’ families confirmed their deaths.
The family described Robinson and Sharp as “devoted parents” and said that their children were “the light of their lives”.
Robinson’s LinkedIn profile identified him as the founder and chief executive officer of RB2B and Retention.com, as well as the CEO of Moltsets. He had previously worked at financial services firm Lehman Brothers and banking group Barclays.
Fellow technology entrepreneur Jesse Ouellette also paid tribute to Robinson in a LinkedIn post, recalling how he had helped him while he was building his company.
Sharp was an artist, according to media reports. Her father, Dudley Sharp, told an international media oulet that learning his daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren had been aboard the aircraft was “quite a blow”.
Reed, Fehr and Cetina were also among the passengers killed. The joint family statement described Reed and Fehr as “full of joy and adventure”, adding that they loved their people “fiercely, fully and without hesitation”.
Their exact relationship with Robinson and Sharp was not immediately clear.
The statement said Cetina cared for Emma and Charlie “with tenderness and devotion” and was “truly part of the family”. It also credited her with leaving behind “a legacy of unconditional love and devotion”.
The crash also killed the two members of the flight crew.
East Coast Jets, a private charter company where Jeff Gregory previously worked, identified the 55-year-old as the pilot. A company spokesperson said that Gregory had worked there briefly in 2016 and 2017.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
American media identified 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras as the co-pilot. She obtained her pilot’s licence at the age of 17, while still in high school.
Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed her death and told an international media outlet that her daughter loved flying.
“She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top,” Corteleti said.
