Air traffic control audio from the doomed Learjet has captured the crew’s final moments, including what appears to be a man reciting part of the Lord’s Prayer as the aircraft plunged toward the ground. However, there seem to be more that has now been released.
As previously reported, all nine people on board were killed when the private jet, which was flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to the Bahamas, lost control and crashed in a residential neighborhood near Cresthaven, Florida. It happened at about 12:50 PM on Sunday, November 1.
Dashcam video from a nearby car captured the moment the jet hit the ground nose-first, erupting into a fireball and leaving a large crater.
Who was the co-pilot?
One of the pilots was identified by her family as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20. She earned her pilot’s license at 17 as a high school student, before she was old enough to drive. She previously told a local news station that she could fly but couldn’t drive.
What can be heard in the audio?
Recordings of the crew’s communications with air traffic control reveal their final attempts to regain control of the plane. A female voice, believed to be Filgueiras, can be heard reporting that the jet was descending at an alarming rate and banking at a 60-degree angle.
Shortly before, she had told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that the crew was dealing with moderate turbulence and “light, clear ice that is manageable.”pla
She then radioed, “We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.” She continued, “We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute. We’re going to crash into the ground.”
Her heartbreaking final words on the recording, according to the New York Post, were: “Holy f**k, we’re out of time.”
What was the final act heard on the recording?
A male voice can also be heard on the audio appearing to recite part of the Lord’s Prayer, including the words “who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” The speaker hasn’t been officially identified. Friends of the plane’s captain, 55-year-old Jeff Gregory, have said they believe it was him, according to ABC News, though the recording hasn’t been independently verified.
Moments later, the plane hit the road. All nine people on board died instantly.
What happens next?
An investigation into the cause of the crash is under way. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the incident a “horrific tragedy” in a post on X.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being injured or killed. “It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” he said. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this crash.
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