By Manuel M. Melgoza (November 8, 2026)
A Learjet crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 1 [2026]. Nine people were on board. The aircraft was headed to an airport in the Bahamas.[1]
According to Wikipedia , the people on board included the pilot-in-command, captain Jeff Gregory (age 55) from a Philadelphia suburb, and the second-in-command, first officer Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras (age 20) from Boca Raton, Florida.
Around 10 minutes before the crash, Nathalia reportedly sent a text message to her boyfriend, who was also a pilot, stating, “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice” – as described by her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, in an interview with the New York Post.
The plane had been heading eastbound at 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence with altitude deviations of about 700 feet, icing, precipitation, and low outside air temperatures of −47 °C (−53 °F). They requested a climb to 37,000 feet which was authorized by air traffic control (ATC).
Soon after the climb began – within a minute but before reaching 37,000 feet – the aircraft began a steep dive, the rate of descent increasing to over 30,000 feet per minute. Nathalia radioed a “mayday” call to ATC, reporting a deteriorating situation. The plane descended from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute immediately before crashing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The final transmission from the aircraft to ATC occurred about 35 seconds after the mayday call was made.
The plane hit the ground in an almost vertical nosedive, nearly hitting a home. The jet exploded into a fireball, leaving a large smoldering crater in the side of the road. One witness stated that the aftermath “looked like a meteor hit the ground.”
All nine occupants were killed. The seven passengers were a tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson [44], his wife Helen Sharp [40], their two young children [Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2], the children’s nanny [Anita Maria Cetina, 24], and two family friends [Rachael Reed, 38 and Charmi Fehr, 28]. One person on the ground sustained non life-threatening injuries while traveling in a nearby vehicle. (Wikipedia)
CNN reported that the plane’s sudden descent covered 27,000 feet over the course of one minute.[2]
The FAA’s investigation into the causes and contributing factors is still underway. As of the date of this writing, the craft’s a cockpit voice recorder, which would have contained any communications between the pilot (Jeff Gregory) and co-pilot (Nathalia) had not yet been recovered. However, a recording of the radio communications between Nathalia and the Airport Control Tower was captured and released to the public.
The Audio Recording
An edited version of the recording transcript states:
(Nathalia): [in a calm voice] 722BD, 350, moderate turbulence, plus or minus… okay, now 700 feet, 600 feet…[3]
(Air Traffic) Controller: November [inaudible] roger. Say outside air temperature?
Nathalia: Minus 47°C. We’re managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence. We’re direct Freeport.
Controller: Okay, N722BD, roger, let me know if you need anything else, I’m just working you into my airspace right now.
Nathalia: Thank you. If you have any better ride, let us know. 2BD.
Controller: N2BD, the ride should improve in my airspace. You’re kind of far outside of it right now, you can expect a better ride ahead.
Nathalia: Roger, 2BD. Now we’re picking up precipitation. We need to climb 370 if able. 2BD.
Controller: N722BD, roger. Climb and maintain flight level 370, no further right than your present heading for traffic.
Nathalia: Climb 370. 2BD.
Nathalia [panicked]: 722BD, we’re descending 8,000. Mayday! Mayday! We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!
Controller: N722BD, roger.
Nathalia: Declaring an emergency, 722BD. We are in an overspeed condition. Descending 20,000 feet per minute!
Controller: N722BD, roger. Altitude your discretion, let me know what you need.
Nathalia: We’re going to crash into the ground! 722BD. [scream]
Controller: N2BD, I’m here with you. Talk to me.
Nathalia: We are descending 22,000 feet, and we are banking 60 degrees. [inaudible] [male voice praying in the background][4]
Controller: N2BD, roger. I’m here with you, [inaudible]
Nathalia: [scream] [inaudible] Look outside, ! [name unclear]. Look outside!
Nathalia: Holy fuck! [bleep], we’re out of time! [inaudible]
. . . [5]
The Plane’s Occupants
From what has been publicly posted since the tragedy, Adam Robinson was a tech entrepreneur and his wife, Helen, worked in public relations and was also a gifted ceramics artist. The couple split their time between Aspen, Colorado, and Austin, Texas. According to a family statement:
“Adam and Helen [44 and 40 years old] were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives. Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever. Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. . .
Charmi and Rachel [28 and 38 years old, respectively] 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. . .
Anita Maria [24 years old] 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.”
Our hearts are with Adam and Helen’s family and loved ones, and with everyone affected by the crash.”
Adam’s former employer released a statement that:
“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. His loss is deeply felt across our team and the tech community, as we collectively mourn this significant loss.”
Nathalia Filgueiras, the young co-pilot, was just 20 years old, her family told CNN Brasil.
“She was a very good girl – responsible, hardworking,” her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, told CNN Brasil. Her family, who are Brazilian, live in Florida, where Filgueiras was raised, her mother said.
Before Filgueiras even had her driver’s license, she had gotten her hands on a pilot’s license at age 17, her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, told CNN Brasil. “Though some people were taken aback by her eagerness to be in the sky, Filgueiras was excited by it.”
Per CNN, Nathalia had commented:
“I like being different than everyone, so to me, I think it’s, like, cool,” Filgueiras told CNN affiliate WPEC in 2023. “Some people think that it’s, like, weird because I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car. I mean, I can, but a lot of people think it’s funny.”
In a 2023 interview, Nathalia said she earned her pilot’s license even before she had a driver’s license and, “I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly.’”
She had graduated from American Flyers, one of the most prestigious aviation schools in the United States and had already accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours, her family said. Nathalia’s flight instructor commented that she was a gifted and capable pilot.
“She was definitely the bravest person I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Noah Spencer, her brother-in-law, told WPLG. “She was somebody that was so driven.
“From the day I met her, she’s always had a goal to become an airline pilot, and she accumulated tons of hours and was very experienced.”
The West Boca Community High School graduate earned her pilot’s license at 17 before her driver’s license.
Relatives described Nathalia as a young woman who “showed any girl could do what it takes.”
Her sister, Giulia Filgueiras, said the 20-year-old “fought until the last moment she could” and had wanted to be a pilot since the age of 12. Giulia Filgueiras, 21, called her sister a brave, “amazing girl” who always followed her dreams, the Palm Beach Post reported. [USA Today]
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a pilot with 20 years of experience, posted on X regarding Nathalia: “I feel compelled to post after seeing commentary . . . critiquing this poor woman’s final radio calls. . . She was the second-in-command (SIC), and while she was empowered to point out mistakes as part of good crew resource management, she was doing her job, communicating with ATC right to the end in a terrifying situation. She likely knew before many of those calls that she was going to die. I have heard final calls from friends, from military pilots with thousands of hours in fighter aircraft, and they are just as heartbreaking because they know the end is approaching.”
Jeff Gregory (55), the pilot, had a wife and young daughters, according to a GoFundMe set up for the family. An ABC Action News affiliate wrote that Jeff was a longtime aviator, husband and father from the Philadelphia suburbs. At nearby Limerick Chapel Church, the pastor spoke with Action News and said Jeff was a former parishioner and beloved in the community. A man’s voice could be heard over the air traffic control radio in the background reciting parts of the Lord’s Prayer before crashing. Friends believe that voice belongs to Jeff. One podcaster (Hoover, of Pilot Debrief) added that some who knew Jeff described him as a devout Christian.
“Jeff was also a personal friend, and knowing him has made me a better person,” Thomas Noetzel wrote in the fundraiser. [CNN] “Jeff was a devoted, conscientious, and deeply faithful man who had a genuine passion for flying and a strong love for the Lord,” Noetzel’s father, Walter, posted on Facebook. “His journey on earth may have ended, but I like to think he is now flying among the angels, soaring peacefully in the presence of our Lord.”
Jeff held airline transport pilot and flight instructor certificates, according to FAA.
A November 2, 2026 article from CNN added the following about Nathalia:
“Joe Mixon, former NFL running back, posted on X that he flew on that exact Learjet with the same pilots last month. He said he was “absolutely devastated” by the crash. “Hearing the young woman’s story and learning about the bright future she had ahead of her makes it even more heartbreaking that her life was cut so short,” he wrote in the post.
Nathalia’s mother, Camila Filgueiras, told the California Post (Nov. 2, 2026) that her daughter had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months and:
“I wanted her [Nathalia] to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me,” Camila said from her home in Palm Beach County.
“I knew that a plane was gonna take her away from me. I always knew it but I was so proud of her. I know she was living her dream,” she said.
Spiritual Questions
Most media outlets are focusing on the mechanics of the accident, its causes and/or contributing factors including the weather, possible mechanical failures, and potential human error. My intent is to focus on something different – the spiritual questions raised and lessons we might learn from what has been reported publicly.
My aim here is not to argue Nathalia’s and Jeff’s actual spiritual conditions. It is, rather, to use what happened to examine our own hearts to see where we stand with God at each conscious moment, and make any needed changes, while there is yet time for us to do so.
The Last Words
At one point after the plane’s horrifying descent, both pilots knew they were going to crash and die – that there was nothing they could do to avert the outcome. The pilot’s last utterances were the Lord’s Prayer. The co-pilot’s were “Holy fuck! [bleep], we’re out of time!” One utterance was a quiet one – the other was frantic and loud.
Why the differences? What difference does this make to us?
Eternity is the difference. At the time of our death, the difference between spending eternity in the joyful presence of our Savior and spending it in the eternal torment of hell, depends on whether we truly call on the name of Jesus as our Savior and Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:1-3) Where do we stand in our relationship with God, through His son, Jesus, when we take our last breath?
But merely professing faith in Christ is insufficient, however. Words are not enough.
Thus, it is not enough to take Jeff’s recitation of the Lord’s Prayer as conclusive proof that he had a trusting faith in Jesus. Nor is it justifiable to conclude from Nathalia’s choice of profanity and absence of verbal prayer that she did not regard Jesus as her Lord and Savior. And, while Jeff’s friends described him as a faithful, devout Christian that, too, may not determine whether his final destination will be in God’s presence. After all, many churchgoers profess one thing, and belie that claim by how they live their lives, and what they harbor in their hearts.
An ongoing relationship with God is a little like two sides of a coin, isn’t it? One side requires that, to believe in Christ, we must KNOW HIM.[6] The flip side requires, as a gateway to Heaven, that God KNOW US at the moment of truth. Ominous or not?
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46-49 [7]
God gives us a clue here that He knows what is in our hearts today and throughout our remaining lives on Earth – whether we will follow Him; or disown Him. Do you think He wants to hear that we used to know Him at one time? Or that we want to know Him in the future (e.g., like when we think we can clean up our act first and then seek Him)? More likely, He wants our lives and hearts to reflect that we know Him in the present. 2 Timothy 4:1-8
Am I out of time? Are we out of time? Will we ever be in a position to ask ourselves that question? Nathalia exclaimed, “we’re out of time,” at her last breath. She was probably referring to the lack of time to correct the path of the plane. But, that is not a certainty, if we believe in a miracle-working God.
Many have commented on what Nathalia may have been referring to as she screamed – Look outside, Jeff! [name unclear]. Look outside![8]
What was she screaming for Jeff to see? Was it ice build-up? Was it the horrendous weather outside? Was it the rapidly approaching ground?
Or, was it something supernatural? Could it have been an Enoch moment? We won’t know – yet. (Genesis 5:24)
God promises his followers that He will never leave them, nor forsake them, even until the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 3:16
Most believers who are mature in their faith discover that God often delivers His messages not only through His written word, but also in a myriad of other ways, including through ordinary people, whether those people are consciously aware that they are delivering such a message or not.
In this context, did you notice what the Air Traffic Controller meant to communicate to Nathalia after she screamed that they were going to crash to the ground?
I’m here with you. Talk to me. . . N2 Bravo Delta, roger. I’m here with you!
Some may downplay the significance of the tower controller’s words by dismissing them as merely his human attempt at trying to comfort the plane’s crew. But, couldn’t that exchange just as likely be God relaying comfort to the crew at their final hour, and imploring them to pray and reach out to Him?[9]
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
God chose to reveal to us the Biblical account about the thieves who were being crucified alongside Jesus during their final hours of human life. While hanging on his cross, waiting to die, it was not too late for one of the thieves to express repentance, reach out in prayer to Jesus, and have his wish to join Jesus in eternity be granted! (Luke 23:26-43)[10]
The Jet’s Passengers
What about the other occupants in the plane? How did they spend their final moments? Thus far, almost nothing is revealed publicly. Did the entrepreneur’s family realize that they were about to die in a crash? Did they know, and believe in Christ? Were they “out of time?” What were they doing shortly before the jet crashed? Were the parents trying to comfort their two and four-year-old children, or each other?
Assuming that they knew Christ, what had they taught their children about Him? Did they acknowledge God, and teach their children about a relationship with God through Christ? Or, did they focus on advancing their professional careers[11] while ignoring, disowning or disavowing Him? Did they believe they didn’t need God?
These questions are important to us all because, if we are married or intend to become married and raise families, our children will inevitably bring up questions about God, and/or about what happens to us after we die. We cannot answer such questions if we never contemplate them in advance, and seek their answers. Thus, we cannot impart to our children what we do not know. Sooner or later, our children will look to our lives as their parents, when considering whether they will choose to follow Christ, ignore Him, or reject Him. In each situation, our choice has ramifications far beyond our individual, finite selves.
Finally, what about the children’s nanny? Was she attempting to comfort the toddlers and their parents during their last moments? Maybe. Accounts about her past seem to suggest so – 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.” These attributes might be evidence of the “fruits of the Holy Spirit,”[12] but as noted further above, the attributes alone are not a substitute for a living faith in Christ.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
Conclusion
So, are we “out of time?” We have a loving God, a God whose desire is that not one human perish, a God who is relentless in His pursuit of our trusting faith, and who has sacrificed His one and only Son to allow us to be reconciled with Him in Heaven. But, He will not force us to serve Him against our wills. He is a fair God, and we will all discover at the moment of our deaths that He gave us every chance to choose an eternity with Him, or without Him.
I was the same age as Nathalia (20) when, completely unexpectedly, a guest (whom I did not know) at a small family gathering, suddenly pulled a gun on me and asked me if I did not think he would use the gun on me. (He claimed he had used it on a member of his family.) The guest and I were no more than arms’ length distance apart, with his revolver pointed in my direction.
That could have ended tragically for me, especially since I did not yet have a trusting faith in Jesus Christ in that era of my life. Had he pulled the trigger, I may have indeed been out of time. But, in God’s abundant mercy and patience, the Lord had other plans for me.
At some point during our lives, we will be out of time to make the choice of whether or not to choose eternity with Christ, but it will not be because God did not attempt to reach us, or because we did not have enough opportunities to choose.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16-18
[1] FAA Statements on Aviation Accidents and Incidents
[2] A podcaster claiming some expertise calculated the jet’s speed from the video at 703 mph right before impact. ABC News reported the speed at 350 fps (239 mph) based on FAA figures, but that appears incorrect from video footage and eyewitness reports. A separate CNN report claims the jet plummeted at 450 fps (307 mph). NTSB officials said they do not have precise numbers on the Learjet’s airspeed per ABC News.
[3] The letters are short-hand for “Seven Two-Two Bravo Delta.”
[4] Comment from Internet post in Sylvia Wrigley’s “Fear of Landing, The Art of Not Hitting the Ground Too Hard,” commenting on the accident and the audio recording. The post adds: “The co-pilot is the only voice making radio calls from the flight, although a male voice can be heard in the background, reciting a common Christian prayer (Our Father). Friends of the captain have identified the voice as his, but this has not been officially confirmed. According to the Hindustan Times (November 3, 2026): “The US Sun reports that the audio on the air traffic control radio after the plane declared an emergency documented Jeff Gregory reciting the Lord’s Prayer as the plane lost control and plummeted.”
[5] https://www.miamifinder.com/assets/n722bd/atc.mp3
The unedited audio version is here:
[6] I wrote about this in one a previous chapter, The Worthless Servant.
[7] Various times, Jesus makes clear that we are to pray to receive Him daily, continually, and to “abide in the Vine” (a term he uses to symbolize himself). After all who is our “Daily Bread” (John 6:35, 51), and our “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)? Jesus also said that if anyone desires to come after Him, they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Him – follow His example. (Matthew 16; Mark 8; and Luke 9)
[8] People who have listened to the audio opine that the “inaudible” portion or word in the recording is Jeff’s name, and that she was screaming for Jeff to look outside.
[9] Zechariah 1:12-14 – “So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
[10] One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[d]” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
[11] “It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. . . With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:23-26
[12] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23
