Nine people, including a Texas technology entrepreneur, his wife, their two young children, and two pilots, were killed when a small private jet crashed and burst into flames on a Florida highway Sunday.
The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it plunged onto a multi-lane highway, according to BBC reporting.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash, including whether ice accumulation, turbulence, or possible human error contributed to the accident.
Authorities and family members have begun identifying those who died. The victims included members of one family, their companions, and the flight crew.
Here is what is known about the nine people who lost their lives.
Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp
Texas technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were among those killed in the crash.
The family was identified in a joint statement released by relatives of several victims.
Their loved ones remembered Robinson and Sharp as devoted parents, describing their children as the center of their lives.
“Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives,” the family statement said.
Robinson was a technology entrepreneur who described himself on LinkedIn as the founder and CEO of RB2B and Retention.com, as well as the CEO of Moltsets.
Before building his technology businesses, he worked at major financial institutions, including Lehman Brothers and Barclays.
His death prompted tributes from people in the technology industry. Fellow entrepreneur Jesse Ouellette shared a message on LinkedIn, recalling Robinson’s support while he was building his own company.
Ouellette described Robinson as a friend who shared his approach to building software businesses.
“He could disagree with you about almost anything, and somehow you’d walk away liking him even more,” Ouellette wrote.
Robinson’s final LinkedIn post was about a debate he and Ouellette had planned for the following week.
Helen Sharp was an artist, according to media reports. Her father, Dudley Sharp, told The Palm Beach Post that learning his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren had been aboard the aircraft was devastating.
“We had a daughter, her husband and two grandchildren on the plane,” he told the newspaper.
Rachel Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina
Rachel Reed, Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Cetina were also passengers aboard the Learjet.
In the joint family statement, Reed and Fehr were remembered for their joyful personalities and adventurous spirits.
“They loved their people fiercely, fully and without hesitation. From the moment they met, they were all in on each other and the life they were building,” the statement said.
Their exact relationship with Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp was not immediately clear.
The family statement also paid tribute to Cetina, highlighting her close bond with the couple’s young children.
“She cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family,” the statement said.
Relatives added that Cetina left behind a legacy of unconditional love and dedication.
Jeff Gregory
Jeff Gregory, 55, was identified as the pilot of the aircraft, according to East Coast Jets, a private charter company where he previously worked.
The company confirmed his death in a statement released Monday.
“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,” a company spokesperson said.
Gregory worked for East Coast Jets briefly in 2016 and 2017, according to the company’s statement.
Nathalia Filgueiras
Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, was identified by U.S. media as the Learjet’s copilot. She had earned her pilot’s license at just 17 while still attending high school.
Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed to U.S. media that her daughter was among those killed in the crash.
Corteleti told The New York Times that Filgueiras had a deep passion for flying and enjoyed the freedom it gave her.
“She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top,” her mother said.
Filgueiras had previously spoken about her interest in aviation during a 2023 interview with a local CBS News affiliate.
At the time, she discussed earning her pilot’s license while still a high school senior and described how unusual it was for someone her age to be able to fly an aircraft.
“I like being different than everyone,” she said.
She also joked that some people found it amusing that she could fly a plane even though she could not yet drive a car.
Investigation Into the Florida Plane Crash Continues
The deaths of the nine people aboard the Learjet have left families, friends, and colleagues mourning their loss.
The NTSB is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, with investigators examining whether weather conditions, including ice and turbulence, may have contributed to the accident. Possible human factors are also part of the investigation.
As investigators work to establish what happened before the aircraft struck the highway, families and colleagues continue to remember the victims and the lives they led.
