Three days after Sunday’s horrific Learjet 60 plane crash, tech CEO Adam Robinson and his family have been identified as some of the victims.
A little over two hours after taking off from Austin, Texas, the $2 million aircraft they were in nosedived into a residential area in Palm Beach, Florida.
It exploded into a fireball upon impact, ending the lives of all nine on board, including a pilot and a co-pilot.
Highlights
- Three tech companies Adam Robinson founded and led have issued their statement on the horrific tragedy.
- New evidence has emerged that could explain why the pilot couldn't control the aircraft.
- Aviation experts pointed to possible human errors that may have caused the crash, but cleared the 20-year-old female co-pilot of blame.
Now, Robinson’s employees have shared a heartfelt statement with Bored Panda as aviation experts weighed in on the tragedy.
“We are heartbroken by the loss,” the message read.
CEO Adam Robinson’s tech company employees have reacted to the tragedy
On November 1, Adam Robinson was traveling to the Bahamas with his wife, Helen Sharp, a potter and entrepreneur, and their two young children—Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2.
The family was accompanied by their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, and two friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fer.
Robinson founded and led MoltSets, RB2B, and Retention, three software companies serving the e-commerce industry.
After the CEO’s passing, the three companies issued a collective statement, saying, “Adam was much more than our CEO. He was a friend, a mentor, and a bold, outspoken leader who lived life to the fullest.”
“He cared deeply about the people around him and brought energy and conviction to everything he built,” it continued. “His loss is deeply felt across our team and the tech community, as we collectively mourn this significant loss.”
“Our hearts are with Adam and Helen’s family and loved ones, and with everyone affected by the crash. We ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.”
Family members of the deceased also shared a joint statement with us via a spokesperson.
“Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return,” it said about Robinson and Sharp.
New evidence suggests the plane fell apart in its 27,000-feet descent even before impact
The Bahamas-bound private jet departed from Austin at 10:37 a.m. ET and initially climbed to 41,000 feet before descending to 35,000 feet a couple of hours later near Naples.
Jeff Gregory, 55, was piloting the aircraft, with Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, as co-pilot.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET, Filgueiras told Air Traffic Control (ATC) the plane was encountering light ice and moderate turbulence, but it was manageable. She also asked for clearance to climb to 37,000 feet.
Seconds later, her frantic voice declared “Mayday,” informing officials that the plane was in “overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute.”
“We’re going to crash into the ground! We’re running out of time… We’re going to d*e!” her last message said.
FlightRadar24 data says that the plane took a steep, right-hand descent of over 27,000 feet in under a minute at 12:48 p.m. before crashing nose-first, sending debris flying into nearby mobile homes.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) representative Tom Chapman told the press Tuesday that the aircraft’s tail was found broken into three parts, suggesting the plane was breaking apart before it hit the ground.
“The function of the elevator is to control the pitch up and down,” Chapman said. “At those speeds I don’t know that it would’ve been effective even if it had still been attached to the aircraft, but knowing that it was lost is a very important piece of evidence in terms of pointing us towards other things to investigate.”
Aviation experts shed light on the crucial mistakes that may have caused the crash
Justin Crabbe, a veteran pilot and CEO of Jettly, a charter-flight booking platform that listed the destroyed Learjet 60, said the plane’s crew may have doomed themselves and the passengers by flying through the storm and then attempting a risky escape.
“They certainly should have gone around. ATC gave them the flexibility to deviate around that weather,” Crabbe told the New York Post, adding that he suspected it was to reach their destination quicker. “It’s a theory called ‘get-there-itis,’ and flight schools teach you this very early on.”
“They tried to ascend to get to clearer air, which may have been one of the contributing factors toward accelerating that stall.”
He explained that when the plane tried to climb over the stormy conditions, it increased the “angle of attack” in the icy air and might have caused or aggravated the stall on one or both wings.
It left the pilots to choose between forcing a difficult ascent or diving deeper into the storm, risking more ice buildup. The Learjet 60 had a de-icer, but it did not help save the day as the plane started “falling” out of the sky.
“At that point, I’m sure the pilot was trying to pull back on the controls and get the nose up, but I’m sure at that speed and that angle, it just wasn’t possible,” said aviation lawyer Zachary S. Gorwitz of Podhurst Orseck, which handles air crashes.
Gorwitz also defended Filguerias against the online verbal onslaught accusing her of being “too inexperienced” and sounding panicked on the radio as she continued reporting on the situation until the last second.
The pilot, Capt. Gregory, could be overheard reciting the Lord’s Prayer on the microphone.
“The fact that this 20-year co-pilot was the one on the radio suggests the pilot was at the controls,” he said.
"I hope the investigation helps stop this from happening to others," a user commented
