A veteran pilot who reportedly turned to the Lord’s Prayer as his private jet plunged toward the ground in a deadly Florida crash is being remembered as a devoted Christian whose faith remained strong until the very end.
Captain Jeffrey Gregory, 55, a married father of three from Pennsylvania, was among nine people killed Sunday, November 1, when a Learjet 60 carrying a family and their friends crashed into a roadway in Palm Beach County, erupting in flames and leaving a massive crater.
Gregory’s longtime church, Limerick Chapel in Pennsylvania, shared an emotional tribute following the tragedy, telling congregants that the pilot had “gone home to be with the Lord when the plane he was flying crashed,” according to The U.S. Sun.
The tribute has taken on particular significance after chilling recordings of the aircraft’s final radio transmissions circulated online. As the jet rapidly lost altitude, a man’s voice could reportedly be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer while the crew struggled with an unfolding emergency.
Friends believe the voice belonged to Gregory, although authorities have not officially confirmed the speaker’s identity.
For those who knew him, the reported prayer reflected a faith that had shaped Gregory’s life long before he entered the cockpit.
David Peters, a former neighbor and close friend, told The U.S. Sun that Gregory grew up attending Limerick Chapel, where their parents worked. The two attended a small Christian school together, and Peters remembered Gregory as “very diligent and dependable.”
Flying had been Gregory’s dream since childhood. Peters recalled his friend’s enthusiasm for aviation, including his love of wearing a leather bomber jacket, and said he worked tirelessly to build a career doing what he loved.
“I know he worked hard to become a pilot,” Peters said, describing a lifelong passion for flying.
Gregory leaves behind his wife, Cheryl, and their three children.
The tragedy unfolded shortly before 1 p.m. as the Bahamas-bound jet traveled from Austin, Texas, toward North Eleuthera. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the crew reported moderate turbulence, light icing and temperatures around minus 53 degrees Fahrenheit while flying at approximately 35,000 feet.
After requesting permission to climb to 37,000 feet, the aircraft suddenly began descending. Within moments, the pilots issued a Mayday call and reported that the jet was traveling too fast while rapidly losing altitude.
The aircraft ultimately slammed into a roadway near Greenacres, killing everyone aboard.
Among the victims were Texas technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their two young children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. Family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, the children’s nanny, and 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras also lost their lives.
The investigation has since uncovered a disturbing clue. Federal investigators discovered that major pieces of the jet’s left elevator, a critical flight-control surface on the tail, separated before impact. Some fragments were recovered as far as 3.8 miles from the crash site.
In a November 5 update, the NTSB confirmed that crews had recovered part of an engine while excavating the crash site. Investigators also discovered wreckage on nearby rooftops as they continued searching for evidence.
Officials have not determined whether the aircraft’s breakup caused the emergency or occurred as the jet descended at extreme speed. The possible role of icing and turbulence also remains under investigation.
For Gregory’s grieving family, friends and church community, the unanswered questions surrounding the crash are now accompanied by an emotional final memory: a man of deep faith who may have turned to prayer in the last moments of his life.