9 Dead in South Florida Jet Crash Involving 20-Year-Old Copilot

A small jet crashed and exploded near West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, killing nine people. The victims included Adam Robinson, a 45-year-old technology entrepreneur, his wife, two young children, and a 20-year-old copilot.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras served as the copilot on the flight from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed the details to the New York Post and the New York Times. Filgueiras earned her pilot's license in 2023 at age 17 while attending West Boca Raton Community High School. The Palm Beach County School District paid for the certification as part of the school's aviation academy.

The crash also claimed the lives of Robinson's family members. His wife, Helen Sharp, died alongside their children, 4-year-old Emma and 2-year-old Charlie. Anita Maria Cetina, who helped care for the children, was also killed. Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr were identified as two additional victims. The identity of the other pilot has not been disclosed.

Robinson was a co-founder of Robly, an email marketing platform, and the founder of Retention.com. The latter company uses technology to connect e-commerce website visitors to their email addresses. Retention.com was based in Austin, where Robinson lived with his family in Aspen, Colorado, according to a recent podcast appearance. He told the ProfitLed podcast that he enjoyed seeing his children in the morning and evening without frequent work travel.

Robinson's death marks the second time this year that Austin has lost a tech entrepreneur in a plane crash. In June, Joshua Baer, who led a venture capital firm, died in a similar accident. Thom Singer, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, described Robinson as part of the entrepreneurial fabric of Austin. The families of the seven passengers released a statement expressing their grief and solidarity with the pilots' families.

Filgueiras' license allowed her to fly the jet but did not grant her authority to command the flight. She previously told WPEC-TV that she found it funny that she could fly planes but not drive a car. The crash site is in South Florida, where the Learjet disintegrated upon impact.

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the cause of the crash. Local officials are coordinating with family members to release further details. The flight was scheduled to land in the Bahamas.