Family members on Monday identified a young Florida pilot as one of nine victims of a plane crash in Palm Beach county that occurred during a heavy thunderstorm. Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, was co-pilot of the private Learjet 60 en route from Austin-Bergstrom international airport in Texas to North Eleuthera airport in the Bahamas on Sunday when it suddenly plummeted out of the sky, killing all onboard, her mother told the New York Times. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Later on Monday, the family of the passengers who died posted a statement on Facebook identifying the victims and paying tribute to them. It named them as Adam Robinson, 45, a Texas-based technology entrepreneur; his wife Helen Sharp, 40; and their children, Emma, four, and Charlie, two. The statement said close family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr were also killed, along with Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, the children’s nanny.

The pilot in charge of the Learjet was identified by TMZ and other media outlets on Monday as Jeff Gregory, 55, an experienced aviator from Pennsylvania.

The plane crashed at 12.51pm local time on Sunday, exploding on impact, leaving a giant crater in the ground, and scattering debris all around the crash site near a mobile home park in the city of Greenacres.

At a briefing on Monday, Tom Chapman, head of a team of about 20 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) personnel in West Palm Beach, said conditions in south Florida on Sunday were “pretty crazy”, and that the weather would be “a major focus” of the investigation.

“You all saw what the weather was like here at the surface. What we have to determine is what the weather conditions were like at altitude,” he said.

Filgueiras’s mother, Camila Corteleti, told the Times her daughter worked for Upper Jets, a private charter firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which owned the aircraft, and that she had been passionate about flying since childhood.

“She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top,” Corteleti said, adding that her daughter enjoyed plane spotting at local airports as a young girl.

Filgueiras graduated high school in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2024, having already obtained her private pilot’s license at the age of 17, according to the Palm Beach CBS affiliate 12 News.

Aurora Aviation, which operated the aircraft under its trading name of Upper Jets, did not respond to a request for comment.

Robinson was the founder of several technology companies, and his wife owned a public relations firm, according to relatives.

“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma and Charlie were the light of their lives,” the statement said.

“Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last for ever. 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.

“Charmi and Rachel were full of joy and adventure. They loved their people fiercely, fully and without hesitation. From the moment they met, they were all in on each other and the life they were building. They are deeply loved, and we will miss them endlessly.

“Anita Maria cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family. She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.”

Chapman of the NTSB said at the press conference: “I want to express our profound, profound condolences to the family and friends of those who were lost in this tragedy. We are truly, truly sorry for your loss.”

Air traffic control (ATC) audio from the final moments of the flight feature a female voice reporting a buildup of ice on the jet’s wings, and a request for permission to climb to 37,000ft.

“The crew transmitted to ATC that they were encountering light, clear ice, which was manageable, and also moderate turbulence,” Chapman said, noting the plane was at 35,000ft at that point.

“The crew reported the outside temperature was -47C (-53F) and they were managing the ice, but were in moderate turbulence. Very soon after, the crew transmitted, ‘We are picking up precipitation, requesting to climb to 37,000ft if able,’ which was approved by FAA air traffic control.”

Chapman added: “Less than 30 seconds later, a transmission from the airplane announced a descent, followed by a mayday call. About 12.48pm, the airplane transmitted, “We are in an overspeed condition, descending,’ with the rest unintelligible. Sadly, all aboard were lost.”

The female crew member on the recording said the plane, tail number N722BD, was descending at more than 20,000ft a minute, and: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”

The recording ends with the woman shouting, “Holy fuck, we’re out of time,” and air traffic controllers trying to re-establish contact.

Multiple videos circulating on social media capture the Learjet striking the ground almost vertically, and at a high rate of speed.

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, said on Sunday it was “a cataclysmic plane crash … that looked like a missile going down”. He said it was not believed anybody on the ground was killed or injured, although NTSB staff at the Monday press conference said they believed a car occupant nearby received a minor leg wound.

The crash occurred during an outbreak of severe weather and thunderstorms in south Florida that briefly closed Miami international airport and forced commercial airliners to d... (text cuts off).