Learjet 60 Crash Victims: Austin Tech Founder Adam Robinson's Family Among 9 Killed as NTSB Finds Signs of In-Flight Breakup

Families of the people killed when a Learjet 60 crashed in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday have shared who was aboard. The passengers were an Austin, Texas, technology entrepreneur, his wife and two young children, two family friends and the children’s nanny. Federal investigators said Monday that the jet may have started breaking apart before it hit the ground.

All nine people on the flight from Austin to the Bahamas died when the jet came down near Military Trail around 12:50 p.m. ET on Nov. 1. The National Transportation Safety Board has not determined a cause.

Who was on the plane that crashed in Florida?

In a joint statement posted Monday by Anthony Robinson and reported by USA Today and UPI, the families wrote: “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.”

UPI noted that officials had not yet released the identities themselves.

Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp

Adam Robinson’s LinkedIn page lists him as the founder and CEO of RB2B and Retention.com and the CEO of MoltSets, the BBC reported. He previously worked at Lehman Brothers and Barclays. Helen Sharp was an artist, according to media reports cited by the BBC.

The family statement described the couple as “devoted parents” and said Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, “were the light of their lives.” It added: “Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever.”

Sharp’s father, Dudley Sharp, told The Palm Beach Post the news was “quite a blow,” the BBC reported. “We had a daughter, her husband and two grandchildren on the plane,” he said.

Fellow founder Jesse Ouellette wrote on LinkedIn that Robinson had helped him build his company. “He could disagree with you about almost anything, and somehow you’d walk away liking him even more,” he wrote, per the BBC.

Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina

USA Today described Reed and Fehr as a couple. The statement called them “full of joy and adventure.” Of Cetina, the families wrote that she “cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family.”

The crew: Jeff Gregory and Nathalia Filgueiras

A spokesperson for East Coast Jets, where he worked briefly in 2016 and 2017, identified the pilot as Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, the BBC reported. US media identified the co-pilot as Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, of Boca Raton. Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed her death and said her daughter had logged more than 1,300 flight hours, according to UPI. She earned her pilot’s license at 17.

It is still not known who was at the controls when the jet went down, UPI reported. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman pushed back online against speculation about Filgueiras’ role. “Let people investigate, learn and share the facts,” he wrote.

NTSB: evidence of breakup before impact

At its first briefing Monday, NTSB member Tom Chapman said: “We do have some evidence that there was some breakup of the aircraft before impact. We’re still seeking to determine that,” according to AVweb. Investigators have not yet identified which parts may have come off in flight.

Here’s what else the agency shared:

• Debris field: About half a mile by four-tenths of a mile, with pieces near businesses, homes and ball fields, AVweb reported. Investigator-in-charge Timothy Monville said many pieces are “fairly small,” per UPI.
• Final radio calls: The crew reported “light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence” at 35,000 feet and asked to climb to 37,000. Less than 30 seconds after the climb was approved, they declared a mayday.
• Weather: Chapman called weather a major focus. The NTSB has not determined whether the jet flew into an active thunderstorm.
• Recorder: Maintenance records indicate a cockpit voice recorder was installed. “What we don’t know is whether that recorder was still on board,” Chapman said.
• Operator: The flight was a Part 135 charter, AVweb reported.
• Ground injury: Officials said earlier that no one on the ground was hurt. The NTSB has since said a motorist suffered a leg injury.

Monville said roughly 20 investigators are on the case. Water collecting in the impact crater on the roadway has made it harder to recover the main wreckage.

What happens next

The NTSB said on-site work will take several days. Its preliminary report usually comes within about 30 days, and a probable cause takes much longer. The agency asked witnesses or anyone with video to email witness@ntsb.gov. It also asked people not to move any debris they find and to contact authorities instead.

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Earlier coverage: Learjet 60 Crash: Pilot Reported Icing and Turbulence Before Mayday as NTSB Opens Investigation (Nov 2)