Oklahoma woman killed in Florida plane crash was 'full of adventure'

An Oklahoma woman and her fiancé were among the nine people killed when a business jet crashed in South Florida on Nov. 1.

The Learjet 60 departed Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas when it crashed at around 11:50 a.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 1, near Greenacres in Palm Beach County. Authorities said all seven passengers and two crew members were killed, while one person on the ground suffered a leg injury.

Rachael Reed, who was originally from the Oklahoma City area, was aboard the plane with her fiancé, Charmi Fehr.

Family members identified other passengers as Adam Robinson, 45; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; and the children's nanny, Anita Maria Cetina. Relatives also identified one of the pilots as Nathalia Filgueiras, 20.

"We are deeply grateful to the first responders, investigators, and the Palm Beach County community for their care, and to everyone who has reached out with love," the families of the passengers in the crash said in a joint statement on Nov. 2. "Our hearts are also with the families of the pilots, who are grieving alongside us."

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office said on Nov. 2 it was still working to officially identify all nine victims aboard the aircraft.

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Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr

Relatives said Reed and Fehr 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," according to the statement. "They are deeply loved, and we will miss them endlessly."

Reed attended high school in Edmond before earning a nursing degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, according to her LinkedIn page. From 2015 to 2023, she worked as a traveling critical care nurse, and later, at a medical spa in the Oklahoma City metro as well.

In recent years, she and Fehr had been operating Arca, a boutique hotel on West Bay Beach of Roatán, Honduras.

The hotel opened in December 2023.

Other victims killed in the crash

Robinson, Sharp and their children, Emma and Charlie, were among the victims aboard the flight.

In the joint statement, relatives described Robinson and Sharp as "devoted parents" and said their two toddlers were "the light of their lives."

Sharp spent years living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she met Robinson and founded her public relations firm, Influential PR, according to the statement. The couple later built a life together and raised their children, maintaining close ties to communities in Austin and Aspen, Colorado.

The families identified Anita Maria Cetina as the children's nanny and said she had become part of the family through her care for Emma and Charlie.

"She was truly part of the family," the families said in the statement. "She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion."

Relatives described Nathalia Filgueiras, the plane's co-pilot, as a young woman who "showed any girl could do what it takes."

Her mother, Camila Corteleti, told The New York Times and New York Post that Filgueiras earned her pilot's license at 17 and had logged more than 1,300 hours of flight time. She said her daughter worked for Upper Jets, a private charter company based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for nine months before her death.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Upper Jets offered its condolences to those affected by the crash. "Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this tragedy," the company said, adding that it is committed to supporting the families of those who lost loved ones.

About the crash

Federal authorities are investigating the incident, which occurred as thunderstorms moved through the area. Moments before the crash, a person in the cockpit said the crew was "managing the ice," encountering "moderate" turbulence and seeking "better rides," according to audio posted by LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control communications.

National Transportation Safety Board member Thomas Chapman said investigators have found evidence that the aircraft began breaking apart before impact, though officials are still working to determine exactly what caused the crash.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Natalie Neysa Alund, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Arianna Otero, Hannah Phillips, The Palm Beach Post