NTSB Investigates Florida Learjet Crash That Killed 9, Including Possible Overspeed

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a Learjet 60 crash in South Florida on Nov. 1 that killed all nine people aboard. Investigators are examining whether the aircraft exceeded its speed limits and whether parts broke away before or during its descent. The jet plunged about 6,000 meters per minute before striking a mobile home park in Palm Beach County.

The victims were two crew members and seven passengers. The passengers included a Texas family of four, their nanny and two close friends. The crew members were pilot Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, and copilot Nathalia Gadelha, 20, who was the daughter of Brazilian parents. The aircraft had departed Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas.

Investigators are working to determine whether pieces of the jet separated before the aircraft began falling or as it descended. The NTSB has said debris could be scattered far from the crash site, and the force of the impact may make recovery operations more difficult. The investigation is being conducted with support from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The NTSB identified indications that the Learjet was traveling beyond its speed limit, a condition known in aviation as overspeed. The source material describes overspeed as an engine exceeding its manufacturer-set safe revolutions-per-minute limit. It lists possible causes such as failures in speed-control systems, a sudden loss of load or human error, and says the condition can cause severe mechanical damage. The investigation has not established what caused the crash.

U.S. authorities identified Gadelha as the copilot. She earned her pilot’s license while still in high school and had worked as a commercial pilot for nine months. She grew up in Palm Beach County and received a private pilot’s license at age 17, in October 2023, before obtaining a driver’s license. According to the New York Post, and as confirmed by her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, and stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, Gadelha was the person heard calling for help in an air traffic control recording released after the crash.

In the recording, the copilot reports an emergency and says the aircraft is experiencing overspeed while descending at 20,000 feet per minute. A controller replies that they understand and asks what assistance is needed. After receiving no response, the controller calls the aircraft again and says they are there. The copilot then reports descending at 22,000 feet and banking at 60 degrees. She is heard saying, “We’re going to die. We’re going to die. We’re going to hit the ground. Look outside,” followed by, “We’re out of time.” The controller asks whether she can hear and identifies the call as coming from Miami; the transmission then cuts off.

The other passengers were Adam Robinson, a 44-year-old technology entrepreneur; his wife, Helen Sharp; their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; nanny Anita Maria Apellido Cetina; and family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. In a joint statement released by family member Anthony Robinson, the Robinson, Fehr and Cetina families remembered the victims. They described Adam and Helen as devoted parents and said their children were the center of their lives. The statement also praised Reed and Fehr’s joy and adventurous spirit, and said Cetina cared for the children with tenderness and devotion and was considered part of the family.