Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, a 20-year-old co-pilot, was among the crew members aboard the Learjet 60 that crashed and burst into flames in South Florida while travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. Moments before the fatal crash, Filgueiras was heard desperately calling for help over the air traffic control radio, repeatedly shouting, 'Mayday, mayday!'
Audio recordings of the exchange, captured by LiveATC.net, reveal the aircraft was experiencing severe difficulties before it went down. Filgueiras reportedly informed air traffic controllers that ice was accumulating on the jet, with the outside temperature at minus 47 degrees Celsius. She also described moderate turbulence that caused the aircraft to bounce by as much as 700 feet.
The situation soon deteriorated. In the recording, Filgueiras can be heard announcing that the aircraft was descending at 10,000 feet per minute before warning that the descent rate had increased to 20,000 feet per minute amid an overspeed condition.
“We're going to crash into the ground,” she said in the final moments of the emergency call. Flight data available on ADS-B Exchange then indicated that the Learjet 60 lost approximately 27,000 feet of altitude in a minute before crashing.
Who Was Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras?
Filgueiras had developed an interest in aviation at a young age and obtained her pilot's licence in 2023, when she was just 17 and a senior at West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida. Her achievement attracted local media attention because she had earned her private pilot's licence before obtaining a driver's licence.
Her family is originally from Brazil but lives in Florida. Filgueiras began taking flying lessons in 2020 and also received training from her father, who had learnt to fly recreationally in 2018.
In an earlier interview with CBS12, she spoke about enjoying the unusual experience of being able to fly an aircraft while still learning to drive. “I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it's cool,” she had said.
The Palm Beach County School District reportedly funded her pilot training through the school's specialised aviation academy, where students receive exposure to flying through simulators and drones.
What Did Her Family Say About Her?
According to her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, Filgueiras had been working as a commercial pilot for around nine months. Speaking to CNN Brasil, she described her daughter as responsible and hardworking, while emphasising that she was serving as the co-pilot and did not have the authority to make decisions about the flight.
Filgueiras' pilot licence reportedly carried the rating required to fly the jet but did not authorise her to act as the pilot in command. Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, 44, told the New York Post that she had accumulated around 1,300 hours of flying experience. He also said she had exchanged messages with her boyfriend, Justin, approximately 10 minutes before the crash, telling him that the aircraft was encountering turbulence and ice.
Details On Other Victims
The crash also claimed the lives of seven passengers. They included Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their children, four-year-old Emma and two-year-old Charlie. Anita Maria Cetina, who helped care for the children, was also among those killed. The other identified victims were Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. The captain of the flight was identified as Jeff Gregory, a 55-year-old pilot from Pennsylvania, with 2 decades of flying experience.
