Florida — Joe Mixon Flew on Same Learjet Weeks Before Fatal Crash

Running back Joe Mixon, 30, said he flew on the same Learjet, with the same two pilots, that crashed in Florida on Sunday and killed all nine people aboard, according to a tribute he posted on X on Tuesday and reported by the New York Post.

What happened aboard the Learjet?

The Learjet 60 was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed, the Post reported, citing coverage of the incident. All nine people on board died. Mixon, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and former Cincinnati Bengal, wrote that he had flown on "that exact aircraft" roughly a month earlier, with the same flight crew at the controls.

Who were the pilots flying the plane?

The crew consisted of pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, according to the Post. Mixon singled out Filgueiras in his post, saying her story "touched" him. "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 wrote.

What did Joe Mixon say about the pilots?

In his post on X, Mixon described the pilots in personal terms rather than purely professional ones. "They were incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people," he wrote, adding that he was "absolutely devastated" by the crash. He closed the tribute with a message to his followers: "Love on your loved ones while you can, because you never know what tomorrow may bring."

Crash by the numbers

• 9 people killed when the Learjet 60 went down in Florida on Sunday
• 1 month — roughly how long before the crash Mixon says he flew on the same aircraft with the same crew
• 20 — age of co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras
• 55 — age of pilot Jeff Gregory
• 30 — Mixon's age; he is a two-time Pro Bowl running back and former Cincinnati Bengal

What happens next in the investigation?

• Federal aviation investigators are expected to examine the wreckage and flight data to determine a cause, a routine step after fatal crashes involving a Learjet 60.
• Identification of all nine victims, which the Post's broader coverage says is underway, will likely continue in the coming days.
• Scrutiny of the co-pilot's role and experience, flagged in additional Post headlines referencing the crash, may factor into any findings.
• Mixon has not said whether he plans further public comment beyond his Tuesday post.

Glossary

• Learjet 60 — a twin-engine business jet manufactured by Bombardier's Learjet division, commonly used for private and charter flights.
• Pro Bowl — the NFL's annual all-star exhibition, selection to which marks a player as among the league's top performers at his position that season.
• Co-pilot — the second pilot in a flight crew, typically responsible for assisting the captain with navigation, communication, and aircraft systems.

The Post's report did not include comment from the pilots' families or from Learjet operators on the aircraft's maintenance history. HTT News has not independently verified Mixon's account beyond his public post and the Post's reporting.

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