20-Year-Old Co-Pilot Killed in Florida Learjet Crash Identified as Young Aviator Who Earned License Before She Could Drive

The co-pilot killed in Sunday’s devastating private jet crash in Palm Beach County, Florida, has been identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, a young aviator who earned her pilot’s license while still in high school and had already accumulated more than 1,300 hours of flying experience.

Gadelha was among nine people killed when a Learjet 60 plunged into a residential neighborhood near Greenacres on November 1, erupting into a massive fireball and leaving a crater in the ground. The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it suddenly entered a catastrophic descent.

Her mother, Camila, and stepfather confirmed her identity to The New York Post on Monday, revealing that the young woman had spent years pursuing her dream of becoming a professional pilot.

Gadelha’s passion for aviation began during her childhood in Palm Beach County. Inspired partly by her father, who began flying recreationally in 2018, she started taking aviation lessons in 2020 and quickly demonstrated a commitment to building a career in the skies.

By September 2023, she had earned her private pilot’s license at just 17 years old, accomplishing the milestone before she was legally licensed to drive a car.

Her achievement attracted local media attention while she was attending West Boca Raton High School. During an interview with CBS12, Gadelha proudly discussed being able to operate an aircraft before getting behind the wheel of a car.

The young pilot continued advancing her aviation career after graduation, eventually obtaining the qualifications necessary to work commercially. According to her family, she had accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours by the time of Sunday’s tragedy.

She had been working as a commercial pilot for approximately nine months and had previously helped teach others how to fly. Her long-term ambition was to become an airline pilot, allowing her to travel internationally while pursuing the profession she loved.

Her mother described her daughter’s determination and enthusiasm for aviation, explaining that flying had become a central part of her life. Although the family supported her ambitions, they were also aware of the risks associated with the profession.

Those fears became reality Sunday afternoon when the Learjet encountered serious trouble while flying over South Florida.

The aircraft, a 2004 Learjet 60 registered as N722BD, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The flight was approaching Palm Beach County when the crew reported deteriorating flying conditions.

Air traffic control recordings captured the pilots discussing ice accumulation, precipitation and turbulence before requesting permission to climb to a higher altitude in search of smoother conditions.

Controllers approved the request, but the situation quickly deteriorated.

The aircraft began losing altitude at an extraordinary rate, with a crew member reporting that the jet was descending at approximately 10,000 feet per minute.

Moments later, the crew reported an overspeed condition and a descent rate of approximately 20,000 feet per minute. Flight-tracking information subsequently showed an even faster descent during the aircraft’s final moments.

The crew issued an emergency warning as the jet continued falling toward the ground.

In the final transmission, a voice from the cockpit warned that the aircraft was about to crash. The recording ended with the devastating words, “We’re out of time.”

Investigators have not publicly confirmed which crew member made each statement heard in the air traffic control recordings.

Gadelha’s stepfather also revealed that she had sent her boyfriend a text message approximately ten minutes before the crash, describing turbulence and ice encountered during the flight.

The message provides another account of the difficult conditions aboard the aircraft shortly before the disaster, although investigators have not determined whether those conditions caused the crash.

The Learjet struck the ground at approximately 12:50 p.m. near a residential area in Palm Beach County, exploding on impact and scattering burning debris across the surrounding area.

Video captured by a nearby motorist showed the aircraft descending almost vertically before slamming into the ground. The explosion produced a massive fireball and sent thick smoke rising above nearby homes.

All nine people aboard the aircraft were killed. Authorities reported no confirmed deaths or injuries among people on the ground.

Emergency crews responded to the scene as firefighters battled the flames and law enforcement officers established a perimeter around the wreckage.

The impact damaged the surrounding area and prompted evacuations while investigators assessed potential hazards involving debris, fuel and nearby infrastructure.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the crash site Sunday and described the extraordinary force of the impact. Officials said the aircraft had descended with tremendous speed before striking the ground.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the disaster, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Investigators are examining flight-tracking information, air traffic control recordings, weather conditions and the aircraft’s maintenance history to determine what caused the sudden loss of control.

The reported ice accumulation and turbulence will be among the circumstances investigators consider, but neither has been established as the cause.

Aviation investigators must also examine whether mechanical problems, flight-control issues or other factors contributed to the aircraft’s rapid descent.

As of Monday, authorities had not publicly identified the other eight people killed in the crash.

The tragedy has attracted widespread attention because of the dramatic video footage and the distressing recordings of the crew’s final moments.

For Gadelha’s family, the disaster has brought a heartbreaking end to a career that began with extraordinary ambition.

At an age when many aspiring pilots are still completing their initial training, she had already earned multiple qualifications, accumulated extensive flying experience and entered professional aviation.

Her journey from a Palm Beach County high school aviation program to the cockpit of a commercial business jet reflected years of training and dedication.

Family members remembered her as someone who had pursued her ambitions with enthusiasm, determined to make flying her life’s work.

The investigation into Sunday’s crash is expected to continue as federal officials examine the wreckage and reconstruct the aircraft’s final minutes.

Until that process is completed, the precise circumstances that caused the Learjet to plunge from the sky remain unknown.

Gadelha’s identification provides the first personal glimpse into the nine lives lost in the tragedy, revealing the story of a young woman who achieved her childhood dream of becoming a professional pilot before her life was cut short at just 20 years old.