Two children – aged two and four – were among the nine people who died in a horror fireball crash when a plane plunged from the sky “like a missile” in Florida on Sunday. Details continue to emerge
Chilling cockpit audio captured the last moments in a private jet before it plunged “like a missile” into a mobile home park, killing all nine people on board – including a two-year-old boy. Sunday’s fireball horror has stunned the world after it made global headlines.
The aircraft had departed from Austin, Texas, and was heading to the Bahamas. It disappeared from flight-tracking websites after plunging 27,000ft in 60 seconds. Authorities are yet to confirm what caused the crash, but all nine victims have now been named.
They included both pilots, a tech tycoon, his wife and their young children as well the youngster’s nanny and the family’s friends. Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis described the accident as “cataclysmic”. Here is all we know about the aviation disaster.
Tragic co-pilot
Terrified co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha, who was aged just 20, can be heard telling air traffic control (ATC) the plane was “going to crash into the ground” – six miles from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate – followed by a scream.
Nathalia, who had dreamt of becoming a commercial airline pilot one day, told ATC: “We’re descending 8,000. Mayday. Mayday. We’re descending 10,000ft per minute.”
Just before the impact Nathalia uttered her final words to ATC saying: “We’re descending at 22,000ft. We’re going to die. Holy f***, we’re out of time.” She had earned her private pilot’s license in October 2023 aged just 17 while she was still in high school.
Despite her tender age, she had already racked up 1,300 hours of flying experience, her proud family said. She can be seen smiling in loved-up social posts with her boyfriend Justin, also a pilot, during a recent trip to Costa Rica.
And in another poignant post, she shared a video of herself and her boyfriend flying together. She wrote: “How often do you see 2 pilots under 21 with a commercial, multi-engine, instrument, CFI/CFI-I?”
Chilling final text
A minute before the crash, she was heard telling ATC she was experiencing “moderate turbulence”, with the air temperature a bitter -47C. “We’re managing the ice” Nathalia said, with the ATC operator chillingly telling her to expect “better rides ahead”.
It also emerged she sent a final text to her boyfriend, telling him: ”I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.” Her stepfather said message was sent at around 12.40pm local time. The plane came down just 10 minutes later in Green-acres, Palm Beach, Florida.
Mum’s heartbreaking tributes
Nathalia’s devastated mum Camila said she always feard she would lose her daughter to a plane crash. She told the New York Post: ”I wanted her to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me.”
Nathalia fell in love with aviation after going flying with her dad Thiago as a youngster. Camila added: “One day after flying with him, she came home, and we were in our room, and she walked in, and she said, ‘I’m gonna be a pilot’ and I said, ‘No, you won’t.
“Thiago looked at me, and said, ‘If that’s what she wants to be, she will be a pilot,’ and I was like, ‘No she won’t. I knew that a plane was gonna take her away from me. I always knew it but I was so proud of her.
“I know she was living her dream. I know if she could pick a way to go, this would be her way to go, but I didn’t want it to be so soon.“
Tech tycoon and family
Also among the victims were multi-millionaire tech tycoon Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their children two children, Emma 4, and Charlie, 2. Robinson was CEO and co-founder of Retention.com RB2B, and Moltsets team.
The other victims are also identified as the couple’s friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and their children’s’ nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina. The male co-pilot has also been named as Jeff Gregory, 55, who was captaining the doomed Learjet.
In a statement, Robinson’s family said: “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.
“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, 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. Charmi and Rachel were full of joy and adventure. 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. They are deeply loved, and we will miss them endlessly.
“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.“