NFL star Joe Mixon flew on doomed Florida jet weeks before crash

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 13:06 · Archive

NFL running back Joe Mixon flew on a Learjet last month with the same two pilots who died when it crashed in Florida on Sunday, killing all nine aboard.

NFL running back Joe Mixon revealed he had flown on the same Learjet 60 with its two pilots just weeks before the aircraft crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. The jet descended 27,000 feet in just one minute before hitting the ground.

Mixon, 30, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and former Cincinnati Bengals player, posted a tribute on social media. He wrote that the pilots 'were incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people' and called the crash 'a tragic reminder of how fragile life is'.

The young co-pilot was 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, alongside pilot Jeff Gregory, 55. Filgueiras earned her private pilot's license at 17 while still in high school and had been flying commercially for nine months, having logged 1,300 hours in the air before her death, according to the New York Post.

Mixon singled out Filgueiras in his tribute, writing: 'Hearing the young woman's story and learning about the bright future she had ahead of her makes it even more heartbreaking that her life was cut so short.' He offered his prayers to all the families of those aboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board said weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation into the crash. NTSB member Tom Chapman stated that investigators were determining what weather conditions existed at altitude when the jet went down.

How it is being reported

• Former NFL star says he previously flew on private jet that crashed in Florida: 'Absolutely devastated'Joe Mixon revealed he flew on the same Learjet 60 with the same two pilots just a month before the fatal Palm Beach County crash killed all nine aboard.Fox News · 3 Nov, 11:30
• NFL star Joe Mixon ‘devastated’ after learning he flew on doomed Learjet with same pilots weeks before deadly crashNFL star Joe Mixon honored the nine victims of a Florida Learjet crash after realizing he flew on the same plane with its pilots weeks earlier.New York Post · 3 Nov, 06:48
• Heartbroken NFL star Joe Mixon reveals he flew on doomed Florida private jet with same pilots just weeks before fatal crash killed nine peopleThe football star, 30, made the remarkable admission in a poignant social media post, paying tribute to the same pilots that had safely guided him to his destination just weeks ago.Daily Mail Sport · 3 Nov, 03:40

In this story: Joe Mixon · Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras · Jeff Gregory · Palm Beach County · Florida · National Transportation Safety Board

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