AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.
- calendar_today November 2, 2026
Small Jet Crash in South Florida Claims Nine Lives
Nine people were killed Sunday when a Learjet traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas crashed and exploded near West Palm Beach, Florida. Among the victims were a young copilot, a tech entrepreneur, his family, and several others, according to statements from families and officials.
Young Copilot Among the Victims
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, served as the copilot on the ill-fated flight. Filgueiras had been a licensed pilot since the age of 17, earning her certification in 2023 as a senior at West Boca Raton Community High School. Her interest in aviation was fostered by the Palm Beach County School District’s specialized aviation academy, which provided training on simulators and drones and covered the costs of her license. According to her mother, Camila Corteleti, Filgueiras was not in command of the flight but was qualified to fly the jet.
Filgueiras once shared her unique experience with local news, joking, “Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car. I think it’s funny.”
Tech Entrepreneur Adam Robinson and Family Lost
The crash also claimed the lives of Adam Robinson, a well-known technology entrepreneur, his wife Helen Sharp, and their young children, 4-year-old Emma and 2-year-old Charlie. Anita Maria Cetina, who helped care for the children, was also among the deceased, according to a statement released by the families of the seven passengers on board.
Robinson was recognized for founding and co-founding tech companies, including Robly, an email marketing platform, and Retention.com, which helps e-commerce businesses connect website visitors to email addresses. He and his family resided in Aspen, Colorado, as he mentioned in a recent interview on the ProfitLed podcast. Austin, Texas, was also significant in Robinson’s career since Retention.com was based there. Thom Singer, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, acknowledged Robinson as an important figure in the city’s entrepreneurial community.
Additional Victims Identified
Two more individuals, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, were also identified among the victims. Anita Maria Cetina, who cared for Robinson’s children, lost her life as well. The identity of the other pilot operating the Learjet has not yet been disclosed. The families of the passengers expressed their condolences to the families of the crew members, stating, “Our hearts are also with the families of the pilots, who are grieving alongside us.”
Aviation Academy’s Impact on Filgueiras
The Palm Beach County School District’s aviation academy played a pivotal role in Filgueiras’s training and career. As a student, she earned her pilot’s license, and news from 2023 highlighted her journey as a teenage aviator. Although she was licensed to fly the Learjet, federal regulations required a separate rating to serve as captain or command pilot on such flights.
Context: Aviation and Entrepreneurial Communities Respond
This tragedy marks the second time in recent months that the Austin technology community has mourned the loss of a tech entrepreneur in a plane crash. Earlier in the year, venture capitalist Joshua Baer died in a similar incident. The recent crash near West Palm Beach has reverberated through both the aviation and tech communities in Florida, Texas, and Colorado, leaving families, friends, and colleagues remembering the contributions and lives of those lost.
Related coverage
Source: clickorlando.com.
