Victims of deadly Florida jet crash named - as officials give update on investigation

A family with two young children and a 20-year-old co-pilot were among those killed when a business jet crashed in a Florida neighbourhood. 

All nine people on board died when the Learjet aircraft, which had been travelling from Texas to the Bahamas, erupted into a massive fireball in Greenacres - about seven miles (11km) southwest of West Palm Beach - at about 12.50pm local time (5.50pm UK time) on Sunday.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, a 20-year-old co-pilot who had earned her licence while in high school, was among the victims, her mother told the New York Post and New York Times.

Technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their two young children were killed, as well as Anita Maria Cetina, who helped care for the children.

Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr also died, while the identity of the other pilot has not yet been disclosed.

In a joint statement posted on social media, the Robinson, Fehr, Reed and Cetina families said "their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return".

Investigation under way

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Monday that investigators had found evidence the plane had started to break up before hitting the ground.

The NTSB also said that weather conditions would be a key focus of the investigation, adding that investigators were still trying to determine what conditions were like at 35,000ft - the altitude at which the pilots started reporting turbulence, icing and precipitation.

The Federal Aviation Administration had published a warning about thunderstorms prior to the incident, while AccuWeather said that the tops of some of the storm clouds reached up to 45,000ft.

"We have a lot of work to do on scene," NTSB investigator Timothy Monville said at a news conference.

"This will be a several-day process, and the biggest obstacle that we're going to have is recovering the major wreckage from the impacted crater on the roadway."

The NTSB said the plane was originally equipped with a cockpit voice recorder that investigators hope to recover.

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Pilot's last words before crash

In footage of the crash, the aircraft can be seen nose-diving and erupting into a giant fireball near a major roadway just inches from passing vehicles, appearing to narrowly miss homes.

Moments later, the jet entered a steep dive, speeding beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.

"We're descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000ft per minute," the pilot radioed.

"We're going to crash into the ground."

About 35 seconds after the initial mayday announcement, the last ​thing heard from the cockpit was "we're out of time".

Palm Beach County authorities said around 600 people from a nearby mobile home community had been evacuated while officials search the area for debris and other material as part of the investigation.

Joel G Flores, the Palm Beach County commissioner, said a shelter had been established for displaced residents, but admitted he "doesn't have a clue" when they will be able to return to their homes.

"Our concern right now is clearing the scene so that our residents can get back to normal," Mr Flores said.

"We don't really have a timeline as to when they are going to be able to comb through all the evidence and do everything they need to do, and that leaves our community looking for answers."

(c) Sky News 2026: Victims of deadly Florida jet crash named - as officials give update on investigation