Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, a 20-year-old aspiring airline pilot, was copilot aboard the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, her mother and stepfather told the New York Post, according to a report published Monday. The crash killed all nine people on board.
The aircraft departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It went down near the Cresthaven area at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed later that afternoon that everyone aboard had died.
Filgueiras grew up in Palm Beach County and obtained a private pilot’s license at age 17 while attending West Boca Raton High School. In a 2023 interview with CBS12, she joked about being able to fly despite not yet having a driver’s license. She began flight lessons in 2020 and also received instruction from her father, who had learned to fly recreationally, the earlier report said.
A 2023 account said she logged 88 hours of flight time while earning her private license through a program funded by the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy. Filgueiras later graduated from American Flyers, a flight school with locations in Texas and Florida, the Post reported. She had said she hoped to become a commercial airline pilot.
In a social media post cited by the Post, Filgueiras shared a video of herself flying with her boyfriend, Justin, and noted that both were under 21 and held multiple aviation certifications and instructor ratings.
Audio of communications between the flight crew and air traffic controllers, captured by LiveATC.net and cited by The Associated Press, included a report of ice accumulation and turbulence. A pilot described the ice as light and manageable and the turbulence as moderate. The crew then sought permission to climb 2,000 feet, before declaring an emergency as the plane descended rapidly.
According to the AP’s account of the recording, a pilot called “mayday” and reported a descent of 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot later reported an overspeed condition and a descent of 20,000 feet per minute, then warned that the aircraft was going to hit the ground. Dashcam video captured the jet descending nose-first, Fox News previously reported.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis characterized the crash as “cataclysmic.” Local officials said about 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The cause had not been determined in the supplied report, which said NTSB officials were expected to provide an update Monday.
