A Texas tech entrepreneur, his wife, and their two young children were among nine people who lost their lives Sunday when a private jet bound for the Bahamas crashed into a Palm Beach County neighborhood and exploded, TMZ reported Monday.
Adam Robinson, 44, of Austin, was on the Learjet 60, along with his wife, Helen Robinson, their two children, the family’s nanny, and two family friends, sources close to the family told the entertainment news site. The two pilots of the jet, pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, and copilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, were also killed.
Authorities haven’t officially released the passengers’ names. Authorities haven’t announced the names of the children, the nanny, or the two friends.
Pilot reports ice and turbulence before plunge
The private jet took off Sunday morning from Austin, Texas, heading for the Bahamas. According to the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m.
At the time, the plane was climbing at 35,000 feet. The pilot informed the air traffic controllers that ice was accumulating on the aircraft and that moderate turbulence was shaking it by up to 700 feet. The crew asked to raise the altitude by 2,000 feet and, shortly afterward, declared an emergency as the jet dropped more than 20,000 feet per minute.
Moments before the crash, the pilot radioed, “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
Video footage from local drivers shows the jet making a sharp right turn and nosediving before crashing near Military Trail in Greenacres. The city, with about 45,000 inhabitants, is located about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The crash caused a fiery explosion, creating a crater in the pavement a few feet away from houses and passing cars.
“It looked like a missile going down,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at the scene. He added that there are no immediate reports of ground fatalities.
Residents of about 77 mobile homes in the nearby area were evacuated to a shelter, Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said Monday. He added that officials don’t yet know the timeline for their return. Heavy rain fell in the area at the time of the crash.
Founder builds software companies without external financing
Robinson founded and led Retention.com and RB2B, two software companies based in Austin. Retention.com, founded in November 2019, allows e-commerce businesses to identify anonymous visitors on their websites and contact them through emails.
Based on interviews with him published by industry publications, Robinson built Retention.com to over $20 million in annual recurring revenue in less than four years, without venture capital. Then he created RB2B, which matches anonymous visitors on business websites with their LinkedIn profile.
Prior to founding Retention.com, Robinson founded an email marketing software company in 2014 and sold it to a private equity firm. He developed a following of more than 90,000 people on LinkedIn, sharing his experience with building startups and often speaking at software events in Austin.
Copilot got her license at the age of 17
According to TMZ, Gregory was piloting the jet, a relative told them. CBS News cited a source familiar with the matter and a flight manifest saying Gregory was Jeffrey Gregory.
Her stepfather confirmed Gadelha Filgueiras’ identity. She earned her private pilot license in 2023 at age 17, as a senior at West Boca Raton Community High School, where the district’s aviation academy paid for her training. After graduation, she attended American Flyers and wanted to become a commercial airline pilot.
Her family told the New York Post that she got around 1,300 hours of flight time. Her pilot license stated that she was qualified to fly that particular Learjet but not to pilot in command.
Father of the girl, Allan Filgueiras, told the Post that he’s not ready to comment on the crash yet.
Investigators believe that the jet disintegrated in the air before the crash
National Transportation Safety Board member Thomas Chapman said Monday that the jet apparently started to disintegrate before it hit the ground and that some pieces may be found some distance from the crash site.
“We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact,” Chapman said at the press conference in West Palm Beach.
The wreckage of the jet was scattered over one and a half miles, and NTSB investigator Timothy Monville said icing is under consideration as a possible factor, FOX 7 Austin reported. Robert Sumwalt, former head of the NTSB, told CBS News that icing on a wing increases the airplane’s weight and disrupts airflow, significantly reducing its capabilities.
The jet’s tail number was N722BD, provided by an Austin airport spokesperson, and ABC7 noted it belongs to a limited liability company based in Delaware. According to Duffy, the FAA sent a team to assist with the investigation.
Representatives of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office didn’t want to make any comments regarding the investigation of the deaths, referring to its early stage. Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter urged residents to pray for the victims.
The NTSB asked anyone with photos or videos of the crash to email them to witness@ntsb.gov and encouraged the public not to touch any wreckage. Usually, the agency releases the preliminary report in about 30 days, but final conclusions may take up to a year.
