NTSB investigates whether ice, turbulence and human error contributed

Nine people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for the Bahamas from Austin nosedived into a multi-lane highway in Florida on Sunday and exploded, according to BBC News. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether ice and turbulence contributed to the crash and whether human error played a role. A joint statement from some of the families and separate media reporting have identified the passengers and cockpit crew.

Family statements and separate reporting identified Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp, Emma, Charlie, Reed, Fehr, Cetina, Jeff Gregory and Nathalia Filgueiras as the people aboard the aircraft. The families described the passengers, while the pilot and copilot were identified through CBS and U.S. media reporting. The crash’s cause remains under investigation.

A joint statement from some of the families identified tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, as among those killed. The family described Robinson and Sharp as “devoted parents” and said their children were “the light of their lives.”

The statement continued: “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.”

Robinson described himself on LinkedIn as the founder and CEO of RB2B and Retention.com and the CEO of Moltsets. He previously worked at global financial services business Lehman Brothers and banking group Barclays. BBC News has contacted the companies for a statement.

Fellow tech entrepreneur Jesse Ouellette said in a LinkedIn post that he had helped Robinson while Robinson was building his company. “He became a friend and someone I saw eye to eye with on how to build software companies,” Ouellette wrote. “He could disagree with you about almost anything, and somehow you’d walk away liking him even more.”

Robinson’s last LinkedIn post was Sunday about a debate he and Ouellette had scheduled for the following week.

Helen Sharp was an artist, according to media reports. Her father, Dudley Sharp, told the Florida news site The Palm Beach Post that news his family had been on the plane was “quite a blow.” “We had a daughter, her husband and two grandchildren on the plane,” he said.

The joint family statement said Reed, Fehr and Cetina were also traveling aboard the jet. It described Reed and Fehr as “full of joy and adventure” and said: “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 did not immediately clarify Reed’s, Fehr’s or Cetina’s relationship with Robinson and Sharp. It said Cetina “cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family.” It added: “She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.”

Gregory, 55, was identified as the pilot by a source with direct knowledge and a manifest obtained by CBS, the BBC’s US partner. A spokesperson for East Coast Jets, where Gregory reportedly used to work, told NBC Miami on 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.” The BBC also contacted East Coast Jets.

U.S. media identified Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, as the copilot. She earned her pilot’s licence when she was 17. Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed to U.S. media that Filgueiras had died in the fireball. Corteleti told the New York Times: “She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top.”

In a 2023 interview with a local news affiliate of CBS News, Filgueiras spoke about receiving her pilot’s licence while still a high school senior. “I like being different than everyone,” she said. “Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think that it’s funny.”

The NTSB inquiry has not yet determined whether ice and turbulence contributed to the crash or whether human error played a role.