November 03, 2026
THOMAS CORDY/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The private jet that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, was piloted by Jeff Gregory, of Gilbertsville, Montgomery County. Above, a rescue worker at the scene of the crash.
The pilot of the private jet that crashed Sunday afternoon in Florida has been identified as Jeff Gregory, of Montgomery County.
Gregory, 55, lived in Gilbertsville and was one of nine people killed when the plane crashed during a flight from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas, FOX29 reported. The Learjet 60 fell more than 27,000 feet in a minute before crashing onto a road in Palm Beach County, Florida.
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Gregory was a husband and father and a member of Limerick Chapel in Limerick, FOX29 reported. He previously was an employee of East Coast Jets, a private plane company in Allentown from 2016 to 2017.
"Our prayers go out to Jeff's family, his fellow crew member, the passengers, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy," the company told FOX29 in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Gregory and his co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, reported ice and turbulence shortly before the crash. Scattered storms were moving through the area at the time, but it unclear whether they played a role in the crash, CNN reported.
As the plane rapidly dropped altitude, Gilgueiras shouted "mayday, mayday" and told air traffic control that "we're going to crash into the ground," investigators said. The plane crashed nose-first into Military Trail, a major highway, causing a massive crater and killing all nine people on board.
The seven passengers have been identified by their families as Adam Robinson; his wife, Helen Sharp; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; caregiver Anita Maria Cetina; and family friends Rachel Reed and Charmi Fehr.
