PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA — November 3, 2026

She learned to fly before she could drive.

At just 17 years old, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras had already achieved something many people only dream of: earning her private pilot’s license while still attending high school.

She was proud of that accomplishment, and she wasn’t afraid to tell the world.

Three years later, the young woman’s extraordinary passion for aviation has become part of a heartbreaking story gripping the nation.

Nathalia, just 20 years old, was identified by her family as the co-pilot aboard the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, November 1, killing all nine people aboard.

The final moments of the flight were captured in a series of increasingly desperate air traffic control communications.

As the aircraft descended uncontrollably, a voice warned that the plane was going to crash.

Then came the devastating final words:

“We’re out of time.”

The Girl Who Could Fly Before She Could Drive

Long before Sunday’s tragedy, Nathalia was making headlines for a very different reason.

In October 2023, CBS12 News interviewed the then-17-year-old West Boca Raton High School senior after she earned her private pilot’s license.

At the time, she had accumulated approximately 88 hours of flight experience.

She still did not have a driver’s license.

But she could fly an airplane.

“I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,'” she told CBS12.

Her playful response captured the confidence and enthusiasm of a teenager pursuing an unusual dream.

Nathalia’s interest in aviation began when her father started flying recreationally in 2018.

By 2020, she had enrolled in ground school and begun working toward becoming a professional pilot.

Her training was supported through an aviation program associated with the Palm Beach County School District.

The young student embraced the demanding work of learning aircraft controls, navigation, aviation safety and flight procedures.

She dreamed of eventually flying commercial aircraft or private jets.

By age 20, she was working toward the future she had imagined as a teenager.

A Promising Aviation Career Cut Tragically Short

Nathalia grew up in Palm Beach County, where friends and family knew her dedication to flying.

Her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, described her daughter as responsible and hardworking.

According to her family, Nathalia had already developed considerable flight experience and earned additional professional qualifications.

Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, told reporters that she had accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours.

Despite her young age, flying was not simply a hobby.

It was her chosen career.

The aircraft she boarded on Sunday was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas toward North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

Nathalia was serving as co-pilot.

Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, was the pilot in command.

Neither would survive the journey.

Terrifying Final Communications: “We’re Going to Crash”

The flight initially appeared to be progressing toward its destination.

But while traveling at approximately 35,000 feet, the crew encountered deteriorating weather conditions.

Air traffic control recordings captured a female voice reporting ice accumulation, turbulence and precipitation.

The crew requested permission to climb to a higher altitude in search of smoother conditions.

Permission was granted.

However, the situation worsened within moments.

The aircraft began descending at a dangerously rapid rate.

An emergency declaration followed.

The crew reported that the jet was losing altitude at thousands of feet per minute.

One communication indicated a descent rate of approximately 20,000 feet per minute.

Another warned that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition.

As controllers attempted to assist, the situation became increasingly desperate.

“We’re going to crash into the ground,” a voice warned.

The recordings also contain what appears to be a male voice reciting part of the Lord’s Prayer.

Then came the haunting final transmission:

“We’re out of time.”

Communication was lost shortly before the aircraft struck the ground.

Although Nathalia’s family has identified her as the co-pilot, authorities have not conclusively established which crew member spoke every line heard in the recordings.

The Text Message Sent Before the Disaster

In another heartbreaking detail, Nathalia’s stepfather told reporters that she had communicated with her boyfriend shortly before the crash.

According to the family, she mentioned turbulence and icing conditions during the flight.

The reported message has attracted attention because the same weather concerns were heard in the aircraft’s final radio communications.

However, investigators have not determined whether icing or turbulence caused the disaster.

The National Transportation Safety Board is examining weather conditions, aircraft systems, maintenance records and the possibility that parts of the jet separated before impact.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Nine People Never Reached the Bahamas

The Learjet crashed near Greenacres, Florida, at approximately 12:50 p.m. on November 1.

All nine people aboard lost their lives.

Among the passengers were technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2.

Also aboard were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina, who helped care for the children.

The aircraft’s crew consisted of Captain Jeff Gregory and Nathalia Filgueiras.

The crash devastated multiple families and shocked the surrounding community.

Wreckage was scattered across a residential area, forcing hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate while emergency responders and investigators secured the scene.

A Mother Remembers Her Daughter’s Dream

For Nathalia’s family, the tragedy is not simply about an aircraft, a recording or a federal investigation.

It is about a daughter whose future once seemed limitless.

Her family watched her discover a passion for aviation.

They saw her begin studying while other teenagers were still learning to drive.

They celebrated when she earned her pilot’s license at 17.

And they watched her turn that achievement into a professional career.

Her mother remembered her as a responsible young woman who took her work seriously.

Now, those memories have become part of the family’s final tribute.

The same teenager who once proudly laughed about flying before driving is being remembered across the country for the extraordinary dream she pursued.

“Yeah, But I Can Fly”

As the investigation continues, the final words heard over the radio have become a haunting symbol of Sunday’s tragedy.

“We’re out of time.”

But for those who knew Nathalia, another sentence may be just as memorable.

Three years earlier, she had smiled during a television interview and proudly explained that she could fly an airplane even though she couldn’t yet drive a car.

It was a moment filled with excitement, confidence and possibility.

A moment that showed just how much she loved flying.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was only 20 years old. She had already achieved her childhood dream, and she had so much more life ahead of her.

Her family is now mourning a daughter whose passion carried her into the skies long before most teenagers received their first driver’s licenses.

And across Florida, those who have heard her story are remembering the young woman who once said, with a smile:

“Yeah, but I can fly.”