The pilot at the controls of a private Learjet 60 that nose-dived and crashed near a Palm Beach County mobile home park on Sunday, November 1, was Capt. Jeffrey Gregory, 55, who maintained professional ties to Pennsylvania.
Pilot Briefly Worked for Pennsylvania Aviation Company
According to a flight company based in the Lehigh Valley, Capt. Jeffrey Gregory briefly worked for East Coast Jets, an Allentown, Pennsylvania-based operation, during 2016 and 2017 before pursuing other opportunities,
as the company stated. A social media page for Gregory listed his location as Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. East Coast Jets released a statement expressing condolences: Our prayers go out to Jeff’s family, his fellow crew member, the passengers and everyone affected by this heart breaking tragedy.
Jet Encountered Severe Weather Before Fatal Crash
The twin-engine business jet had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas on Sunday, Nov. 1, when it ran into severe weather and operational trouble in South Florida. Capt. Jeffrey Gregory was heard on radio calls telling air traffic control he was managing the ice
before making distress calls, according to reports. Witnesses on the ground recorded video of the aircraft plunging from the sky and striking near a Palm Beach County roadway before exploding in thick black smoke.
Crash Kills Nine People on Board
The crash resulted in the deaths of all nine people on board, including a 20-year-old co-pilot whose stepfather identified her to 6ABC as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. Among the passengers killed was a family of four consisting of Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp, and their two young children, four-year-old Emma and two-year-old Charlie, along with their caregiver Anita Maria Cetina, and passengers Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. National Transportation Safety Board investigator in charge Timothy Monville noted that a man in a vehicle immediately adjacent
to the crash site sustained a leg injury. Federal safety investigators stated that parts of the business jet likely began breaking apart before the final impact.
Earlier coverage: All Nine Dead as Private Jet Crashes in Palm Beach County Neighborhood