Here is the part that hits you the hardest. The pilot of the doomed Learjet was heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer moments before the crash. His church says the 55-year-old captain “went home to be with the Lord,” according to the New York Post. It is a stark reminder that life can end in a single minute.
Pennsylvania’s Limerick Chapel counted Captain Jeff Gregory among its devoted members. He was a married dad of three who loved his leather bomber jacket. A friend told the Sun that Gregory worked hard to become a pilot and truly loved the job. When the jet plummeted 27,000 feet within a single minute, he was at the stick. The plane crashed in a fireball near mobile homes in Greenacres, Florida.
The co-pilot was 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. She had earned her private pilot’s license at 17 while still in high school. Her family told the New York Post she had logged 1,300 hours in the air. In the final seconds, she screamed that they were about to die. Audio captures her shouting, “We’re going to crash into the ground,” just before impact. She also said, “Holy fuck, we’re out of time,” per the New York Post.
Absolutely devastated by yesterday’s tragic plane crash in Florida and the loss of all nine lives. I flew on that exact aircraft last month with those same two pilots. They were incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people. Hearing the young woman’s story and learning about the bright future she had ahead of her makes it even more heartbreaking that her life was cut so short. 💔
My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to the grieving families and loved ones of everyone on board. A tragic reminder of how fragile life is. Love on your loved ones while you can, because you never know what tomorrow may bring.— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) November 2, 2026
Gregory and Filgueiras had asked to climb to 37,000 feet to avoid bad weather. Temperatures reached -50 degrees Fahrenheit as the plane flew through the air. Ice started forming on the wings while the jet hit heavy turbulence. The crew reported the icing just before the plane entered a steep nosedive. It plummeted more than 20,000 feet per minute into a street.
NFL star Joe Mixon is reeling after a strange discovery. He flew on the very same aircraft with the same two pilots just weeks before. On Tuesday, Mixon, 30, published a heartbreaking tribute post on X. “I flew on that exact aircraft last month with those same two pilots,” the former Cincinnati Bengal wrote. He called them “incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people.”
Mixon singled out the young co-pilot, saying her story touched him deeply. He noted how heartbreaking it is that her life was cut so short. He offered prayers to the families and called the crash a tragic reminder. “Love on your loved ones while you can,” Mixon wrote, “because you never know what tomorrow may bring.”
Nine people died in the fiery crash on Sunday afternoon. The victims included tech exec Adam Robinson, his wife Helen, and their two young children. Also aboard were friends Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr, and nanny Anita Maria Apellido Cetina. The Robinsons’ brother confirmed the identities on Monday. The plane was en route from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.
Gadelha’s mother, Camila, shared her painful feelings with 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,” she said. She added that she always knew a plane would take her daughter away. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the plane broke up before impact. Investigators have not yet determined the exact cause of the crash.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the event a horrific tragedy in an X post. He asked everyone to join him in praying for the families. The FAA is sending a team to support the investigation.
