Captain Jeff Gregory’s Pennsylvania church has released a statement after the 55-year-old pilot was identified among the nine people killed in a Florida Learjet crash.
The Limerick Chapel in Pennsylvania sent an email tribute following the identification of Gregory as the pilot of the aircraft that crashed Sunday in a residential area of Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida. The church wrote that Gregory “went home to be with the Lord when the plane he was flying crashed.”
David Peters, a friend and former neighbor who attended Christian school with Gregory, described the pilot to The U.S. Sun as “very diligent and dependable.” Peters also confirmed Gregory’s membership at the Limerick Chapel.
April Honnen, the director of charter sales for East Coast Jets, where Gregory worked between 2016 and 2017, wrote on Facebook: “We are deeply saddened to learn that Captain Jeff Gregory was among those who lost their lives. Our prayers go out to Jeff’s family, his fellow crew member, the passengers and everyone affected by this heart breaking tragedy.”
Gregory’s 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha, was the first victim identified in the crash. Moments before impact, Gadelha texted her pilot boyfriend, telling him: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice,”.
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman confirmed Gadelha’s final radio transmissions. She cried: “We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000ft per minute,” before screaming that they were going to crash into the ground as the Learjet 60 plunged approximately 35,000 feet in just over a minute. It was during this rapid descent that Gregory was heard saying the Lord’s Prayer.
The jet had departed Austin, Texas, and was heading for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it went down. On board were passengers Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, a ceramicist, their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, the family’s nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
In a joint statement, the passengers’ family said: “Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives. Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return.”
Officials have not yet determined a cause for the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has said it has “some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact.” The Federal Aviation Administration is assisting the ongoing investigation.