ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) — The captain of the Learjet that crashed in South Florida was a former member of an Allentown Aviation Company, Action News has learned.
East Coast Jets, Inc. said captain Jeff Gregory worked briefly for them in 2016 and 2017 before “pursuing other opportunities.”
“Our prayers go out to Jeff’s family, his fellow crew, passengers and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy,” the company said in a statement.
The plane was taking off from Austin, Texas, on Sunday, bound for the Bahamas, when it crashed near West Palm Beach, killing all nine people on board.
A family of four, including two young children, were among those killed.
The crash in Palm Beach County killed all nine people on board the plane.
The family has been identified as Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp, along with their two young children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2.
Anita Maria Cetina, who helped care for the children, also died.
Two other victims were identified as Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
The co-pilot’s stepfather also identified her Monday on ABC News as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras
Credit: @itsnatfilg / Discussions
Video recorded by people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the 22-year-old’s twin-engine Learjet 60 plunged from the sky before hitting near the Palm Beach County road and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement bordering a crater as people crowded around, expressing shock that they had landed just yards from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke filled the accident site.
A man who was in a grounded vehicle “immediately adjacent” to the crash site suffered a leg injury, according to NTSB Investigator-in-Charge Timothy Monville.
RELATED: Plane involved in Florida plane crash registered to LLC based in Wilmington, Delaware
The National Transportation Safety Board says parts of a business jet likely began to break before the plane crashed.
Investigators say weather conditions are a major focus of their investigation.
Action News has learned that Captain Jeff Gregory was a former member of an Allentown Aviation Company.
There was a thunderstorm warning in the area and one of the pilots reported ice buildup on the plane.
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