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55-year-old Learjet captain Jeff Gregory performed one chilling final act before the deadly crash
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Harrowing audio from the Learjet 60 that crashed into a Florida neighborhood reveals the final act of the pilot before perishing on Sunday (November 1).
The crew of the private jet consisted of 55-year-old captain Jeff Gregory and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
The pair made a distress call in the minutes leading up to the horrific crash that killed all nine on board, as those on board included entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, his wife Helen Sharp, their four-year-old daughter Emma, and their two-year-old son Charlie.
The family was traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, and two close friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. None survived.
At a news conference on Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that ice began forming on the jet in the middle of moderate turbulence during the flight, a theory that has been suggested by aviation experts to be fatal.
The final transmission heard on air traffic control recordings reveals that Filgueiras said: "We're going to crash into the ground, 722 Bravo Delta."
The last words heard from the cockpit were: "We're out of time."
Pilot's final act before plane crash
The Bahamas-bound private jet went from flying at an altitude of 35,000 ft to plummeting into the ground in 76 seconds.
Audio shared via LiveATC captured the final 35 seconds of communication, revealing that Captain Jeff Gregory was reciting the Lord's Prayer before the jet crashed into a Florida neighborhood.
The recording from the distress call was made in the final minutes before the crash.
Gregory can be heard saying: "Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name," as his young co-pilot can be heard screaming: "We're going to crash into the ground."
It was confirmed that there were no further fatalities beyond those on board, despite hundreds being evacuated from the area.
Footage of the tragic crash has circulated online, with the private jet crashing after departing from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, as Floridian motorists caught the crash on their dash cameras.
Co-pilot Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County and previously made headlines in 2023 after earning her private pilot's license at just 17, before she even got her driver's license.
"I definitely do brag because people say, 'Oh, you can’t drive,' and I’m like, 'Yeah, but I can fly,'" she told CBS12, as per Daily Mail.
The NTSB confirmed that the aircraft was traveling through temperatures of -50 degrees Fahrenheit when it started to report icing.
After reporting that they were managing the ice, a mayday transmission came in from the crew at 12:48PM, saying: "We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000ft per minute."
Gadelha kept asking for assistance: "We're descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000ft per minute."
Statement from victims' families
A statement released by the families confirmed the identities and the extent of the loss.
"With broken hearts, our families share that Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, their children Emma and Charlie, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and Anita Maria Apellido Cetina were among those lost aboard the flight that went down near Greenacres, Florida, on November 1."
"Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives."
Robinson graduated from Rice University in Houston and built a career in the Austin tech industry.
The family was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas for what appears to have been a private trip. Their two young children, their nanny, and two of their closest friends were with them.