Palm Beach Jet Crash: Pilot's Final Words Were the Lord's Prayer

The pilot of a private jet that crashed in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday was reciting the Lord's Prayer in his final radio transmission, according to friends who reviewed the audio logs.

Jeff Gregory, 55, was the captain of the Learjet 60 that went down in Greenacres. The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it encountered severe weather. The crash occurred approximately seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach, killing all nine people on board.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, the 20-year-old first officer, reported to air traffic controllers that ice was accumulating on the aircraft. She also described severe turbulence that shook the plane vertically by more than 700 feet. In the moments before impact, she shouted, "We are going to die!" The jet then struck the ground and exploded into a fireball.

Federal investigators indicated on Monday that several parts of the aircraft likely broke off before it hit the earth. Video footage captured just before the crash appears to show the horizontal stabilizer missing from the tail. The impact created a crater and scattered debris across a wide area.

About 600 residents near the crash site remain displaced, though only one person on the ground was reported injured. The victims included Adam Robinson, a technology entrepreneur, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children, according to family members.

Gregory lived in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia. FAA records show he held an airline transport pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate. He previously worked for a charter company in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Noetzel, director of operations at Upper Jets, the company that operated the flight, organized an online fundraising campaign for Gregory's family. Noetzel described Gregory as a close personal friend who had a genuine passion for flying. Walter Noetzel, Thomas's father, posted on Facebook that Gregory was a dedicated and deeply faithful man who loved the Lord.

April Honnen, director of charter sales at East Coast Jets, where Gregory worked in 2016 and 2017, expressed deep sorrow over his death. She said the company's prayers were with Gregory's family, his crewmate, and the passengers.

Thiago Corteleti, the stepfather of first officer Filgueiras, told the New York Post that she texted her boyfriend about 10 minutes before the crash. The message read, "There is turbulence, there is ice."

Tom Chapman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said on Monday that weather will be a key focus of the investigation. A preliminary report describing the events is expected in about one month, while a final determination of the cause could take more than a year.