Learjet crash in Palm Beach County kills 9, including family and caretaker

A private Learjet 60 crashed into a busy Florida highway on Sunday, killing all nine people on board.

The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it began a rapid descent over Palm Beach County. Flight data shows the plane dropped approximately 27,000 feet in a single minute. It struck Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North just before 1 p.m. Eastern Time. The impact created a large crater and caused a fire that sent thick black smoke into the sky. One person on the ground sustained a leg injury, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras communicated with air traffic control in the final moments of the flight. She reported ice accumulation and moderate turbulence shortly before declaring an emergency. She told controllers the plane was descending at 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute. At 12:49 p.m., the pilot sent a final transmission stating, “We’re out of time.”

Families identified eight of the nine victims. The group included tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp, and their two children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. Anita Maria Cetina, the children’s caretaker, was also on board. Two other passengers, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, were killed. The other pilot has not been identified. Filgueiras, who was 20 years old, had earned her pilot’s license at age 17 and had accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours.

Dudley Sharp, Helen Sharp’s father, said the loss was a blow to the family. “We had a daughter, her husband and two grandchildren on the plane,” he said. The family described Robinson and Sharp as a couple who split their time between Aspen, Colorado, and Austin. Sharp worked in public relations and created ceramic art. Cetina was described by the family as a devoted caretaker who was part of the household.

Investigators from the NTSB are examining the crash site to determine the cause. Senior Air Safety Investigator Tim Monville noted that recovering major wreckage from the water-filled crater is a primary challenge. NTSB Member Tom Chapman said parts of the aircraft may have broken off before impact, scattering evidence across nearby areas. Investigators are also seeking the cockpit voice recorder, which maintenance records indicate was installed on the plane.

Weather conditions are a focus of the investigation. The pilot reported outside temperatures of -47 degrees Celsius during the flight. While ice typically forms above -40 degrees Celsius, thunderstorms can carry supercooled water droplets that freeze on contact with aircraft surfaces. This process can increase weight and reduce lift, potentially causing a loss of control.