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Deadly Palm Beach County jet crash: Gilbertsville man identified as captain
Jeff Gregory of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, was identified as the captain of a Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, killing all nine aboard.
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - The pilot of a private jet that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, has been identified as Jeff Gregory, 55, of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, according to his former employer and FAA records. The crash, which happened Sunday, killed all nine people on the plane, including Gregory, his co-pilot, and several passengers. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are on the scene in South Florida working to determine what caused the Learjet 60 to go down.
Remembering the victims and crew of the fatal crash
What we know:
Gregory was identified as captain of the crashed Learjet by East Coast Jets, a private jet company in Allentown where he worked in 2016 and 2017, according to the company.
FAA records indicate Gregory was from Gilbertsville. Among the passengers killed were Adam Robinson, his wife Helen, and their two young children, according to relatives.
The co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, also died in the crash. Limerick Chapel in Limerick, Pennsylvania, is working with Gregory’s family to help make funeral arrangements.
East Coast Jets said it was "deeply saddened" by Gregory's involvement in the tragedy. "Our prayers go out to Jeff’s family, his fellow crew member, the passengers, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy," the company said in a statement to FOX 29.
Timeline:
The Learjet 60 was traveling from Texas to the Bahamas when it crashed on Sunday in Palm Beach County.
Chilling audio captured the final moments from the cockpit. "Seven two two Bravo Delta, we’re descending 8,000. Mayday! Mayday! We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!" a voice can be heard saying.
Final audio from deadly Florida Learjet disaster: 'We're gonna crash'
Nine people are dead after a private jet crashed in a residential Florida area on Sunday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The audio between the pilot and air traffic control details the flight’s final moments.
Aviation attorney John Gagliano told FOX 29 that Filgueiras, the co-pilot, was flying alongside an experienced captain and was fully credentialed. "It was an experienced crew. There was an experienced captain flying with her," said Gagliano. "I don’t think the fact that she was 20 years old has anything to do with anything. She had all of the licenses that were required."
What's next:
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said the agency’s disaster assistance specialists are working with families and local authorities. "We have specialists from our office of transportation disaster assistance on scene. They will be working closely with the families and local agencies to provide support to those involved," Chapman said. Investigators say weather conditions will be a major focus as they work to determine what happened.
Learjet may have broken apart before Florida deadly crash, NTSB says
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what caused a deadly Learjet 60 crash in Florida near Palm Springs that killed all nine people aboard. The NTSB says early evidence indicates the aircraft may have begun breaking apart before it hit the ground.
The backstory:
The plane is registered to an LLC in Wilmington, Delaware.
Gagliano said several possible reasons could cause an aircraft to enter a steep descent. The incident brought back memories of last year’s deadly Learjet 55 crash after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, according to Gagliano. "The first thing I thought was the same thing I thought when we had the Lear 55 crash here in Philly," Gagliano said. "They’re both Learjets, and both of them, I thought, were out of control. That was my first impression."
What we don't know:
The cause of Sunday's crash remains under investigation.
The Source: This article contains information from East Coast Jets, FAA records, statements from the National Transportation Safety Board, interviews conducted by FOX 29, and relatives of the victims.