Texas-based technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson , 44, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their two young children were among six people killed when a private jet crashed in Florida, leaving a trail of destruction near a residential area.
The aircraft burst into flames and was completely destroyed. The remark came after another user suggested that Tel Aviv was home to some of the world’s best tech companies. Robinson responded sarcastically, turning the discussion into a light-hearted exchange. Robinson was the founder and CEO of software companies Retention.com and RB2B.
The Learjet 60 went down on Sunday after reportedly plunging nearly 30,000 feet in about a minute before crashing onto a street outside a trailer park in Palm Beach . Robinson’s children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, also died in the crash.
“I guess, I’m dead,” Robinson quipped in an online exchange about the best locations for building SaaS companies. “You don’t need to crash a plane to learn to fly … and you don’t need VC to build a business,” he wrote in April.
In another striking coincidence, Robinson had shared a post about aviation and entrepreneurship on X months before the tragedy. Based in Austin , Texas, he previously worked in the financial sector with Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital before moving into the technology and startup industry.
His family remembered Robinson and Helen as devoted parents in a tribute shared on social media. Other passengers aboard the aircraft included Robinson’s friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, along with nanny Anita Maria Apellido Cetina. The flight crew consisted of pilot Jeff Gregory and co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, who had reportedly obtained her pilot’s licence while still in high school.
“Adam and Helen were devoted parents, and Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were the light of their lives,” the family said. Distressing audio from the aircraft captured Filgueiras screaming and pleading for help as the jet rapidly descended, according to reports.
The jet reportedly experienced temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the flight before its rapid descent. The chartered Learjet , reportedly valued at around $2 million, was travelling from Texas towards the Bahamas when the tragedy occurred. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Initial reports indicated that the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions while attempting to navigate around a storm system. However, investigators have yet to establish what caused the aircraft to lose altitude and crash. Videos circulating online showed extensive damage at the crash site, including a large crater in the road, scattered aircraft debris and flames sending thick smoke into the air. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash and the events leading up to the aircraft’s final descent.
