Philadelphia pilot Jeff Gregory dies in Florida Learjet crash

Jeff Gregory, a 55-year-old flight instructor from the Philadelphia suburbs, died Sunday afternoon when the Learjet 60 he was piloting crashed in Greenacres, Florida. The accident killed all nine people on board the aircraft, which was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.

Gregory sat in the left seat of the cockpit alongside co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. Federal investigators reported Monday that the jet likely began to break apart before it struck the ground. During the final radio transmissions, Filgueiras told air traffic controllers that ice was building up on the plane and that severe turbulence had caused the altitude to fluctuate by more than 700 feet.

Witnesses to the radio calls say a man's voice was audible in the background reciting the Lord's Prayer as the plane descended. Friends of Gregory believe the voice belonged to him, describing him as a devout Christian. Filgueiras' final transmission before impact included the words, "We're going to die!" The jet slammed into the ground, creating a crater and bursting into flames.

The impact scattered debris over a wide area near a busy roadway. Approximately 600 residents in the immediate vicinity have been displaced from their homes, though only one person on the ground was reported injured. Images taken just before the crash appear to show the horizontal stabilizer missing from the tail of the aircraft.

Thomas Noetzel, director of operations for Upper Jets, the company that operated the flight, launched an online fundraiser on GoFundMe to assist Gregory's wife and children. Noetzel, who called Gregory a close friend, stated that knowing him had made him a better person. Walter Noetzel, Thomas's father, posted on Facebook that Gregory was a deeply faithful man with a passion for flying. He wrote that Gregory is now "flying among the angels, soaring peacefully in the presence of our Lord."

Federal Aviation Administration records show Gregory held airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates. He resided in Gilbertsville, located about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia, and previously worked for a charter company in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He also worked for East Coast Jets, Inc., in 2016 and 2017. April Honnen, the director of charter sales for East Coast Jets, said the company was deeply saddened by the loss and that their prayers went out to the families of all affected.

The victims included technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children, according to relatives. NTSB member Tom Chapman said weather conditions would be a primary focus of the investigation. A preliminary report is expected in about a month, but determining the full cause of the crash will likely take more than a year. Filgueiras' stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, noted that she had texted her boyfriend about 10 minutes before the crash to warn him about turbulence and ice.