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Tragic 'god's eye' video shows final 78 seconds of Florida Learjet flight before horror crash killed nine
A heartbreaking "God's eye" video has reconstructed the final 78 seconds of the tragic Learjet 60 flight that killed nine people.
The private aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was travelling to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down in a residential neighborhood near Greenacres in South Florida on Sunday (November 1).
The tragedy claimed the lives of seven passengers and the aircraft's captain, 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory, and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
'God's Eye' video recreates Learjet's final 78 seconds
YouTuber Bilawal Sidhu has shared a four-dimensional reconstruction of the aircraft's final moments.
The video combines flight-tracking data, weather radar, air traffic control recordings, and eyewitness footage to recreate the jet's final 78 seconds from a "God's-eye" view.
During a preliminary briefing on Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed the pilots had encountered icing, turbulence, and precipitation shortly before the crash.
In the reconstructed video, Filgueiras can be heard telling air traffic control that the outside temperature was approximately minus 47°C.
She said: "We're managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence. We're direct freeport."
A few seconds later, the pilot shares that they are "picking up precipitation," so they need "to climb [to] 37,000 feet," to which he tells her to maintain it.
However, less than 30 seconds later, the situation deteriorated dramatically as the aircraft began descending at an alarming rate.
"Mayday, mayday!" Filgueiras exclaimed. "We're descending 10,000 ft per minute."
The plane continued accelerating toward the ground, with the crew reporting an overspeed condition as the descent rate increased to "approximately 20,000 feet per minute".
"We're going to crash into the ground!" she cried.
The transmissions also indicated that the jet was banking sharply as the pilots struggled with the emergency.
Family of four among nine people killed
NTSB investigators are now working to determine what caused the aircraft to lose control so suddenly.
Among the victims was Adam Robinson, the founder and chief executive of Retention.com, RB2B, and MoltSets.
He was traveling to the Bahamas to celebrate his birthday with his wife, Helen Sharp, their four-year-old daughter Emma, their two-year-old son Charlie, their nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, and two close friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. None survived.
A joint statement shared with VT.co by the families of those killed confirmed the deaths of Robinson, Sharp, Emma, and Charlie, Reed, Fehr, and Cetina:
"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 Cetina were among those lost aboard the flight that went down near Greenacres, Florida, on November 1," the statement read.
"Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, four, and Charlie, two, were the light of their lives. 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. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return."
The families also paid tribute to Reed and Fehr, describing them as people who were "full of joy and adventure" and who loved those around them fiercely.
Remembering Cetina, they added: "Anita Maria cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family. She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.
"We are deeply grateful to the first responders, investigators, and the Palm Beach County community for their care, and to everyone who has reached out with love. Our hearts are also with the families of the pilots, who are grieving alongside us.
"We ask for privacy as we grieve. Details about memorial services will be shared once arrangements are made. With love, The Robinson, Sharp, Reed, Fehr, and Cetina families," they concluded.