A Texas tech entrepreneur, his wife, their 2 children, a nanny and 2 family friends were among the 9 people killed when a private jet crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, over the weekend, TMZ reported Monday.
The passengers were aboard a Learjet 60 traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it plunged into a residential area Sunday afternoon and erupted into flames. The crash left a large crater in the roadway and killed everyone aboard.
The family was identified as 44-year-old Adam Robinson, an Austin-based tech entrepreneur, his wife Helen and their 2 children, according to TMZ. The family was also traveling with their nanny and 2 close friends. Their names have not been publicly released.
The 2 pilots were also identified as 55-year-old captain Jeff Gregory and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
Filgueiras’ family previously confirmed her identity to the NYP. She earned her pilot’s license at just 17 while still in high school and had been working as a commercial pilot for approximately 9 months.
The Learjet was flying from Texas to the Bahamas when it entered a steep descent and crashed along South Military Trail in Palm Beach County.
During a briefing Monday, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials said the crew had reported encountering ice and moderate turbulence before declaring an emergency. The aircraft began descending rapidly less than 30 seconds after the mayday call.
The NTSB is investigating the crash, including evidence that parts of the aircraft began breaking apart before impact.