FATHER OF THREE, 55, IDENTIFIED AS PILOT WHO RECITED THE LORD’S PRAYER BEFORE FATAL FLORIDA PLANE CRASH

Jeff Gregory had dreamed of becoming a pilot since childhood. Now, the 55-year-old Pennsylvania father is being remembered for his faith, his devotion to his family and the final prayer heard during the aircraft’s desperate descent.

The pilot who was heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer over the radio moments before a private jet crashed in Florida has been identified as Jeff Gregory, a 55-year-old husband and father of three.

Gregory was among nine people killed when a Learjet 60 went down in Palm Beach County on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

As details of the tragedy continue to emerge, friends and loved ones are sharing memories of a man whose childhood dream of flying eventually became his lifelong profession.

According to tributes shared after his death, Gregory was married to his wife, Cheryl, and was a devoted father to their three children.

Originally from Pennsylvania, he was also remembered as a lifelong Christian whose faith remained an important part of his identity.

But perhaps the most emotional detail to emerge is connected to the aircraft’s final moments, when a man’s voice could reportedly be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer as the jet rapidly lost altitude.

The voice has been attributed to Gregory in accounts shared after the crash, although its identity has not been independently confirmed by investigators.

A CHILDHOOD FRIEND REMEMBERS THE BOY WHO DREAMED OF FLYING

One of the most personal tributes came from David Peters, a longtime friend and former neighbor who grew up alongside Gregory in Pennsylvania.

Their families were closely connected through their church, Limerick Chapel, and the two boys attended the same small Christian school.

Peters remembered Gregory as a young boy who already had a fascination with aviation.

Among the memories that stayed with him was Gregory’s love of wearing a leather bomber jacket, a detail that reflected the childhood dream he would eventually turn into a career.

According to Peters, Gregory had always wanted to become a pilot.

That ambition never disappeared as he grew older.

During the 1990s, Gregory began flight training, taking the first steps toward a profession that would define much of his adult life.

Over the years, he built a career in aviation, earning the respect of people who knew and worked alongside him.

Those who remembered him described him as diligent, dependable and hardworking.

For his childhood friend, the man being mourned today was still the same boy he had known growing up — someone who had a dream and worked to make it real.

A DEVOTED HUSBAND, FATHER AND MAN OF FAITH

Away from the cockpit, Gregory’s most important role was being a husband and father.

He leaves behind his wife, Cheryl, and their three children.

Family members and friends have asked others to keep them in their thoughts and prayers as they face an unimaginable loss.

His Christian faith was another defining part of his life.

Gregory had attended Limerick Chapel from childhood, and his connection to the church remained an important part of his personal story.

Following news of his death, the church shared a message mourning his passing and remembering him as someone who had gone home to be with the Lord.

For the people who knew him through church, family and friendship, his loss is not simply that of an experienced pilot.

It is the loss of a husband, a father, a friend and a familiar face in their community.

THE FINAL PRAYER HEARD OVER THE RADIO

One of the most heartbreaking details surrounding the crash emerged from recordings of the aircraft’s final communications with air traffic control.

The Learjet 60 had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading toward North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

At approximately 12:50 p.m. Sunday, the aircraft crashed near Greenacres in Palm Beach County, Florida.

In the minutes before the impact, the crew reported icing conditions, moderate turbulence and precipitation.

The pilots initially discussed managing the ice accumulation and requested a higher altitude in an effort to find better flying conditions.

But the situation deteriorated rapidly.

Air traffic control recordings captured the aircraft’s increasingly alarming descent, with the crew reporting an emergency and an overspeed condition.

A female voice, identified in reports as belonging to co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, warned that the aircraft was going to crash into the ground.

During the final moments, a man’s voice could reportedly be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

The prayer has become one of the most emotionally powerful details of the tragedy, particularly following Gregory’s identification and the accounts of his lifelong Christian faith.

The aircraft continued its rapid descent before all radio communication ended.

All nine people aboard were killed.

NINE LIVES LOST IN THE FLORIDA TRAGEDY

Gregory was flying with 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.

The seven passengers included Texas technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

The aircraft struck near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard in Palm Beach County, creating a massive fireball and a crater at the crash site.

The impact also prompted authorities to evacuate approximately 600 residents from a nearby mobile-home community.

The tragedy left nine families and numerous friends grieving the loss of their loved ones.

INVESTIGATORS CONTINUE SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Investigators have reported evidence suggesting that the aircraft may have begun breaking apart before impact.

Weather conditions, including icing and turbulence, are among the factors being examined, along with the aircraft’s systems, maintenance history and the crew’s actions.

Officials have not yet determined the definitive cause of the crash.

For Gregory’s family and friends, however, the investigation is only one part of a much larger loss.

A man who once dreamed of flying as a little boy spent decades pursuing that ambition.

He became a pilot, built a career in the skies and created a family of his own.

Now, those who knew him are holding on to memories of the boy in the leather bomber jacket, the friend who followed his dream, and the husband and father whose life meant so much to the people around him.

Jeff Gregory was 55 years old.

He leaves behind Cheryl, their three children and a community remembering a man whose faith and love of aviation shaped his life.