Anita Maria Cetina FaceTimed her sister to show off the private jet and the children she cared for just minutes before takeoff. The 24-year-old nanny was traveling on the charter flight that plummeted into a South Florida mobile home park on November 1.
All nine people on board died when the Learjet 60 nosedived into the ground, exploding into a massive fireball. The flight had originated in Austin, Texas, and was bound for the Bahamas.
Angie Ramirez Cetina told The U.S. Sun that her sister was thrilled about the journey. She was very happy,
Angie said, noting that her sister had never been to the Bahamas before. Even though she was working, she didn’t see it as work. She enjoyed it.
Angie stated that she and Anita were inseparable
and shared many things and memories together. After seeing a video of the plane exploding, Angie initially did not want to accept that it might be her sister on the aircraft, but their mother later confirmed it was the flight carrying her. Anita loved the job she had, loved the children very much, and loved the Robinson family dearly.
Anita Cetina, a bioengineering graduate from Colombia, had worked for about a year and a half caring for four-year-old Emma and two-year-old Charlie. Those two children, along with their parents Adam Robinson, 44, and Helen Sharp, were among the victims. Family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr also died in the crash, alongside pilot Jeffrey Gregory, 55, and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20.
As the business jet lost control, co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras radioed air traffic control in a desperate descent. NBC Miami reported that residents on the ground heard a massive explosion, with some initially suspecting a bomb or a falling rocket.
Residents on the ground reported feeling their house shake before hearing an explosion and seeing sparks and smoke.
Co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras made a desperate mayday call over the radio as the plane rapidly descended, stating, 722 Bravo Delta, we’re descending 8,000. Mayday, Mayday, we’re descending 10,000ft per minute!
She kept updating air traffic control on their speed and altitude, later screaming, Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition,
with her voice breaking as she shrieked, descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.
The air traffic controller attempted to calm the situation by saying, I’m here with you, talk to me,
while the pilot reported, We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees,
meaning the wings were tilted at a 60-degree angle and the jet was nearly completely sideways. The co-pilot screamed, We’re out of time,
before the transmission ended.
The investigation remains active.
