The pilot of a business jet that crashed in Florida , killing all nine people aboard, was a longtime aviator, husband and father from the Philadelphia suburbs, according to a colleague who organized an online fundraiser for his family and social media posts from people who knew him.
Thomas Noetzel, the director of operations at the company that operated the flight, Upper Jets, organized an online fundraiser to support Gregory’s wife and children.
“Our prayers go out to Jeff’s family, his fellow crew member, the passengers and everyone affected by this heart breaking tragedy. The plane took off from Austin, Texas. About 600 nearby residents remain displaced, but only one injury was reported on the ground.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that Captain Jeff Gregory was among those who lost their lives,” said April Honnen, the director of charter sales for East Coast Jets, Inc., where he worked in 2016 and 2017. The victims included technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their two young children, relatives said.
Images of the moment just before the aircraft made impact appear to show the horizontal stabilizer missing from the tail.
A preliminary report describing what happened will be released in about a month, but it will likely take more than a year to determine the cause of the crash.
Tom Chapman, a National Transportation Safety Board member, said Monday that weather would be a key focus of the investigation.
