A “God’s eye” video has reconstructed the final 78 seconds of the Learjet 60 flight that crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board.
Read more: Everything we know about the Florida Learjet crash
The private aircraft had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it came down in a residential area near Greenacres, South Florida, on Sunday, November 1.
Seven passengers and the two pilots were killed. The pilots were the aircraft’s captain, 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory, and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.
What does the “God’s eye” video show?
YouTuber Bilawal Sidhu shared a four-dimensional reconstruction of the jet’s last moments. The video combines flight-tracking data, weather radar, air traffic control recordings, and eyewitness footage to recreate the final 78 seconds from a “God’s-eye” view.
During a preliminary briefing on Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the pilots had encountered icing, turbulence, and precipitation shortly before the crash.
What was said on the radio?
In the reconstruction, Filgueiras can be heard telling air traffic control that the outside temperature was about minus 47°C (minus 53°F).
“We’re managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence,” she said. A few seconds later, a pilot reported they were “picking up precipitation” and needed to climb to 37,000 feet, and the other pilot told her to maintain it.
Less than 30 seconds later, the situation deteriorated sharply as the jet began descending at an alarming rate.
“Mayday, mayday!” Filgueiras said. “We’re descending 10,000 ft per minute.”
The plane kept accelerating toward the ground, with the crew reporting an overspeed condition as the descent rate rose to about 20,000 feet per minute.
“We’re going to crash into the ground!” she said.
The transmissions also indicated that the jet was banking sharply as the pilots struggled with the emergency. NTSB investigators are now working to find out what caused the aircraft to lose control so suddenly.
Who were the victims?
Among those killed was Adam Robinson, the founder and CEO of Retention.com, RB2B, and MoltSets. He was traveling to the Bahamas to celebrate his birthday with his wife, Helen Sharp, and their children, four-year-old Emma and two-year-old Charlie. Also on board were the family’s nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, and two close friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
In a joint statement, the families confirmed the deaths of all seven passengers.
“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, four, and Charlie, two, were the light of their lives,” the statement read. The families said Robinson and Sharp’s warmth and generosity “touched so many lives.”
They described Reed and Fehr as people who were “full of joy and adventure.” They also remembered Cetina as someone who cared for the children “with tenderness and devotion” and was “truly part of the family.”
The families thanked first responders, investigators, and the Palm Beach County community, and said their hearts were also with the families of the pilots. They asked for privacy and said details of memorial services would be shared once arrangements are made.
We are sending our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this crash.
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