Horror Florida plane crash a reminder to live life, love family and chase dreams – Editorial
Plane crashes regularly make the news, but the tragedy in Florida this week particularly captured attention.
There was the young co-pilot living her dream of flying. The audio transcript detailing her desperate last words as the plane went down is harrowing.
Then there was the tech entrepreneur and his family, including two young children, with their nanny and friends.
They were on the private Learjet 60 headed from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera, the Bahamas.
The plane descended with terrifying speed at up to 22,000 feet per minute. It was described as like a missile. Online footage of the impact is haunting.
It crashed in Palm Beach County, near a mobile home park, early on Monday. All nine on board died. It was a miracle no one on the ground was killed.
The pilot was Jeff Gregory, 55, and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20.
The passengers were Adam Robinson, 44, founder and chief executive of software companies Retention.com and RB2B, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their children, Emma Robinson, 4, and Charlie Robinson, 2.
Their friends who were also killed were Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and the nanny was Anita Maria Cetina.
The jet was reportedly flying through freezing temperatures when it hit turbulence and ice accumulation. Investigators are focusing on the weather.
It is impossible to imagine the terror those on board would have felt.
But Filgueiras’ distressing words and screams provide insight.
“We’re descending 8000, mayday, mayday, we’re descending 10,000 feet [3048m] per minute,” Filgueiras told air traffic control.
Seconds later: “Declaring emergency seven two two bravo delta, we are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute.
“We’re gonna crash into the ground,” she shouts, then adds: “We are descending 22,000 feet and we are banking 60 degrees.”
Her last words: “We’re out of time.”
The fact that she was able to talk during those horrific seconds says a lot about her strength.
Filgueiras has an incredible story. She loved flying and told her parents at age 12 that she wanted to be a pilot.
She earned her pilot’s licence at 17 while in high school and before she had her driver’s licence. She featured in the media at the time.
Filgueiras worked for Upper Jets, a private charter firm based in Fort Lauderdale, and had more than 1300 flight hours.
News reports this week featured photos of a proud-looking Filgueiras in the cockpit or beside a plane.
It was an incredible achievement.
Gregory, the flight captain, was described as a devoted family man and devout Christian with a passion for flying.
There have also been touching passenger tributes.
Images of Robinson and Sharp with their children, all smiling, are heartbreaking.
Robinson was also living his best life. He had spoken about enjoying a life that allowed him to spend time with his children and his wife to be an artist.
“I feel like I’m living the dream,” Robinson told the ProfitLed podcast.
A family member said on social media: “Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives.”
A joint statement from the families of the passengers described Reed and Fehr as “full of joy and adventure” and who “loved their people fiercely, fully and without hesitation”.
Cetina showed “a legacy of unconditional love and devotion”.
By all accounts, these were good people living full lives.
This tragedy, captured in words, video and images, is a reminder to love family, show gratitude, live fully, follow passions and chase dreams.
It’s another reminder that life is short and can change in a heartbeat.