Who Was Jeff Gregory? Veteran Pilot of Doomed Learjet 60 Reportedly Recited the Lord's Prayer Before Dying

Captain Jeff Gregory, the 55-year-old captain of the Learjet 60 that crashed in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, on Sunday, was among nine people who died when the aircraft went down near Greenacres shortly before 1pm local time.

Gregory and his 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, were both killed in the crash.

Air traffic control audio reviewed by reporters appears to capture a male voice reciting part of the Lord's Prayer as the aircraft descended. The words reported include, 'Who art in heaven, hallowed be the name.' The voice has been widely reported as belonging to Gregory.

The recording also appears to capture warnings from the cockpit. Filgueiras, an aspiring commercial pilot from Boca Raton, reportedly said the jet was about to hit the ground before the transmission ended.

Who Was Jeff Gregory?

Gregory was identified as the Learjet 60's captain by East Coast Jets, where he had previously worked briefly in 2016 and 2017.

The company confirmed his death in a statement, saying it was 'deeply saddened' to learn that he had been among those killed in the aviation accident in Lake Worth Beach. The aircraft was operated by Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet, according to the NTSB.

He was from Pennsylvania and had roughly 20 years of aviation experience, according to information shared after the crash. Family members described him as a husband and father, though IBTimes UK has not seen a full public statement from his relatives.

Reports of a final radio transmission, in which a voice is heard reciting part of the Lord's Prayer, have been linked to Gregory in some coverage.

What Happened Before the Crash?

The Learjet 60 left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at about 10.37am on Sunday, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It crashed in Lake Worth Beach shortly before 1pm after a rapid descent.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said the crew reported light ice and turbulence about a minute before the aircraft went down. The crew had also asked to climb from 35,000ft to 37,000ft shortly before declaring an emergency, according to an NTSB briefing.

The plane came down in a residential area of Greenacres, near homes in a mobile-home park. Authorities evacuated about 600 residents while emergency crews responded to the fiery wreckage.

All nine people aboard the aircraft died. Alongside Gregory and Filgueiras, the seven passengers included Texas technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina; and family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

Their identities were confirmed by relatives in a joint statement reported on Monday.

Investigators Probe Rapid Descent

Federal investigators have not said what caused the crash. The NTSB is examining the aircraft's rapid descent and reported in-flight breakup, while the Federal Aviation Administration is also involved in the response.

The aircraft has been described in reporting as a $2 million Learjet 60 (approximately €1.8 million and £1.55 million). Officials have not released any information linking the aircraft's value to the cause of the accident and have announced no confirmed cause.

Gregory was an experienced captain with about two decades in aviation. Filgueiras was 20, had earned her private pilot's licence at 17 and had logged more than 1,300 flight hours, according to her family.

Reports of a voice reciting the Lord's Prayer in the final moments have been widely shared online, although IBTimes UK has not independently verified the full audio or the identity of the speaker. Investigators have not commented publicly on that recording and have not indicated what role, if any, it may play in determining the cause of the crash.