A family vacation to the Bahamas ended in unimaginable heartbreak Sunday when a private jet crashed in Palm Beach County, killing all nine people aboard, including a mother, father and their two young children.
Tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, a ceramics artist and business owner, and their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were among those who lost their lives.
“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives,” relatives said in a heartbreaking statement.
“Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return.”
Also killed were Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, remembered by loved ones as “full of joy and adventure,” and Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, who helped care for the children.
“She was truly part of the family,” relatives said of Anita, remembering her unconditional love and devotion.
The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed into a residential area shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday.
The two pilots, Jeff Gregory, 55, and Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, also died. Filgueiras had earned her pilot’s license while still in high school.
In the aircraft’s final moments, the crew reported icing and turbulence before desperately calling for help.
Federal investigators are working to determine what caused the crash.
For the families left behind, the grief is immeasurable.
“It’s quite a blow,” Emma and Charlie’s grandfather, Dudley Sharp, told The Palm Beach Post.
In their statement, relatives thanked first responders and extended condolences to the pilots’ grieving families.
“We ask for privacy as we grieve,” they said.
