Pilot's church releases statement after he's identified in Learjet crash that killed all nine on board
The pilot of the Learjet aircraft, who tragically lost his life alongside eight others, was heard praying as the plane rapidly descended. Now, his church has released a statement.
Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, was a member of the Limerick Chapel in Pennsylvania, his friend and former neighbor David Peters told The U.S. Sun.
The church sent an email following the identification of the pilot of the aircraft which crashed in a residential area of Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday (November 1).
The church tribute stated that the pilot 'went home to be with the Lord when the plane he was flying crashed.'
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David, who previously attended a Christian school with Jeff, told the outlet he was 'very diligent and dependable.'
April Honnen, the director of charter sales for East Coast Jets, where the pilot 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.”
The jet had left Austin, Texas, and was heading for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. On board were passengers Adam Robinson, 45, his wife, ceramicist Helen Sharp, 40, their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, the family’s nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
Jeff's 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha also tragically lost her life in the crash, and was the first person to be identified.
Moments before crashing, Nathalia had text her pilot boyfriend, telling him: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice," according to the New York Post.
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman confirmed that Nathalia 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 here that Jeff was heard saying the Lord's prayer.
Officials have not yet given a cause for the crash, although The National Transportation Safety Board has said it has 'some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact.'
The Federal Aviation Administration are assisting the investigation which is currently ongoing.
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.”
Kiesha Dosanjh
