Anita Maria Cetina, the nanny aboard the Learjet that plunged to the ground, made one final video call to her sister shortly before the fatal flight, her family said.
Cetina, 24, was traveling with the Robinson family, who had chartered the aircraft. She died when the jet crashed near West Palm Beach, Florida, last Sunday.
With only weeks remaining until her 25th birthday, Cetina called her sister, Angie Ramirez Cetina, moments before the group departed on the ill-fated journey.
Speaking to The US Sun, her grieving sister said: “We had a video call. She showed me the children and the plane. She was very happy.
“She was genuinely happy because she had never been to the Bahamas. Even though she was working, she didn’t think of it as work. She enjoyed it. She loved her job and cared deeply for the children. She loved the Robinson family dearly.”
Investigators are still trying to establish what caused the business jet to crash while traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. The accident killed pilot Jeffrey Gregory, 55, and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20.
Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, as well as Robinson’s friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, were also aboard. All nine people on the flight died.
Newly released 911 calls from frightened Florida residents have provided a harrowing account of the crash as it happened. Some callers initially feared the blast had been caused by a bomb.
Children’s nanny Anita Maria Cetina was killed in the crash last Sunday
“There was an explosion,” one woman told 911, according to NBC Miami. “I think an airplane, a rocket, something fell from the sky.
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“We felt our house shake, and then we heard an explosion when we ran outside. We didn’t see exactly what fell, but sparks came out and there was a lot of smoke.”
Another caller reported hearing a “really big explosion.”
The public was also shaken by air traffic control audio capturing Filgueiras relaying information as the aircraft rapidly descended.
She can be heard saying: “Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday, mayday… we’re descending 10,000ft per minute.”
Seconds later, she screamed: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition,” before adding in panic: “Descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.”
“I’m here with you, talk to me,” the air traffic controller replied in an effort to calm her.
The pilot then said: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.” The statement indicates the aircraft’s wings were tilted at a 60-degree angle, leaving the jet nearly on its side.
“We’re out of time,” she screamed.
The Daily Mail has decided not to publish the final seconds of the recording because of their extremely distressing nature.
The crash site was marked by a massive crater, surrounded by a broad area of scattered wreckage.
