A married couple with two young children were among the nine victims of the crash of a private Learjet 60 in Palm Beach County, Florida. The jet went down Sunday, Nov. 1, during a flight from Texas to the Bahamas. According to unofficial reports, one of the pilots was 20-year-old Nathalie Gadehlha Filgueiras, who earned her pilot’s license as a teenager. Relatives have confirmed the identities of some of the victims, but authorities have not yet released an official list of those aboard.
Dudley Sharp, 70, said his 40-year-old daughter, Helen Sharp, her 45-year-old husband, Adam Robinson, and their two children were killed in the crash. Robinson’s father, Theodore Robinson, 77, also confirmed his son’s death, noting that the family had not yet received formal notification from authorities. According to information journalists gathered from social media, Helen Sharp worked in pottery and ran a public relations firm, while her husband was the founder of an IT company.
The identity of one of the pilots has also been unofficially confirmed. It is most likely Nathalie Gadehlha Filgueiras, 20, a resident of the Boca Raton suburbs. She obtained her pilot’s license at 17. In a 2023 interview with journalists, she said she dreamed of working as an airline pilot. Her identity, like the names of the others aboard, has not yet been officially confirmed by the agencies investigating the crash. Her family and aviation-related organizations, however, have reported her probable death.
The cause of the crash is still being determined. According to experts analyzing radar data and the flight’s path, the Learjet 60 entered an area of violent thunderstorms over South Florida. Within about 20 minutes, the tops of the storm clouds rose by 15,000 feet. Specialists say the crew may have tried to fly over the storm, and intense updrafts may have contributed to rapid icing on the aircraft. An air traffic controller cleared the plane to climb to 37,000 feet. Shortly afterward, one of the pilots reported an emergency.
“Mayday, mayday. We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the Learjet pilot said over the radio.
Dashcam footage shows the moment the plane plunges to the ground near the intersection of Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard, near Greenacres. The impact was followed by an explosion and fire. Debris was scattered across the area, damaging cars and infrastructure, including a main water line. Power outages were also reported near the crash site. About 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community.
The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
Ed. JŁ
Source: Słoneczne Radio
