“THE MOST NATURALLY GIFTED PILOT I EVER TAUGHT”: INSTRUCTOR PAYS HEARTBREAKING TRIBUTE TO 20-YEAR-OLD LEARJET CO-PILOT NATHALIA FILGUEIRAS

After four decades of teaching pilots, Chris Kirk says he had never met a student quite like Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. The 20-year-old co-pilot was among nine people killed when a Learjet 60 crashed in Florida. Her instructor remembers her extraordinary talent, infectious passion for flying and the courage reflected in her final radio transmissions.

A heartbreaking tribute has emerged for 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, the young co-pilot who lost her life alongside eight others in a Learjet 60 crash in South Florida.

Her former flight instructor, Christopher “Chris” Kirk, has described her as the most naturally gifted pilot he had ever taught throughout his 40-year career.

In an emotional tribute, Kirk recalled how Nathalia stood out from the moment he began teaching her. She was not simply interested in becoming a professional pilot — she genuinely loved flying.

“She was without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught, and I have been teaching for 40 years!” he wrote.

“That young lady was born to fly!”

His words have struck a chord with people following the tragedy, offering a glimpse into the life and ambition of a young woman whose aviation career had only just begun.

A PASSION FOR FLYING THAT STARTED BEFORE SHE COULD DRIVE

Nathalia’s love of aviation began at a remarkably young age.

Her father, Allan Filgueiras, was also a pilot and helped introduce her to the world of flying. According to the Associated Press, he first took her into the air when she was just 12 years old.

By the time she was a teenager, her interest had developed into a serious ambition.

Kirk first began instructing Nathalia when she was around 17. She earned her pilot’s licence while still attending high school — even before obtaining her driver’s licence.

For her, flying was never simply a career choice. It was something she had dreamed of doing.

Her instructor remembered her enthusiasm during training, particularly when they practised aerobatic manoeuvres in a small Cessna 150 Aerobat.

Kirk recalled that Nathalia loved practising spins so much that they repeated the manoeuvre again and again.

Eventually, even he had to call a halt.

“I finally had to tell her that I had to quit because I was becoming nauseous,” he recalled in an interview with PEOPLE.

He added that Nathalia found the situation amusing because she knew how much the repeated manoeuvres were affecting him.

It was one of those light-hearted memories that now carries a much deeper meaning for the instructor who watched her grow into a professional aviator.

THE STUDENT WHO IMPRESSED HER EXAMINERS

One of the most remarkable parts of Kirk’s tribute concerned Nathalia’s Learjet qualification.

According to the instructor, she performed exceptionally well during her Learjet 60 pilot-in-command type-rating assessment in March 2026.

At the time, she had considerably fewer flight hours than many more experienced aviators.

The examiner was reportedly so impressed by her performance that they believed she had accumulated around 5,000 hours of flying experience.

In reality, she had logged approximately 1,100 hours at the time of that assessment, according to Kirk’s account.

The Associated Press later reported that Nathalia had more than 1,300 flight hours and had completed extensive training to qualify for her position.

A type rating is an additional qualification required for pilots to operate a specific aircraft type. It involves training and assessment designed to establish that a pilot can safely operate that aircraft.

Kirk strongly defended his former student’s qualifications, particularly after online discussions questioned whether someone so young should have been serving as a co-pilot on a private jet.

He told PEOPLE that her age had nothing to do with whether she was qualified.

He believed her skills, professionalism and ability to work with others had earned her the opportunity.

For Kirk, Nathalia was proof that talent and dedication could make a lasting impression regardless of age.

THE FINAL RADIO CALLS THAT REVEALED A DESPERATE EMERGENCY

On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Nathalia was serving as co-pilot aboard a Learjet 60 travelling from Texas towards the Bahamas.

The aircraft was carrying nine people: two crew members and seven passengers.

Among those on board were senior pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, their nanny Ana María Ramírez Cetina, and family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

During the flight, the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions.

Audio recordings reviewed by PEOPLE captured Nathalia communicating with air traffic control as the situation deteriorated.

She initially reported ice accumulation and turbulence.

The aircraft then began descending at an alarming rate.

In one of the emergency transmissions, she reported:

“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute!”

She also warned air traffic control that the aircraft was going to crash.

The final words heard in the recording were: “We’re out of 10,” referring to the aircraft descending through 10,000 feet.

The Learjet subsequently crashed in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida, killing everyone aboard.

The tragedy sent shockwaves through the aviation community and devastated the families of all nine victims.

“SHE SHOWED ME WHAT IT IS TO BE A HERO”

Nathalia’s father, Allan, has spoken publicly about the loss of his daughter.

A pilot himself, he described her as his soulmate and recalled how flying had always been central to their relationship.

At a news conference on November 6, he spoke through tears about listening repeatedly to the final radio transmissions.

He said he wished he could have been beside her in the aircraft, helping her through those final moments.

But he also expressed immense pride in the way she continued communicating with air traffic control as the situation became increasingly dangerous.

“She showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said.

Her family has also pushed back against online criticism questioning her experience and qualifications.

According to the Associated Press, her father and legal representative stressed that she had completed the required training and had earned her position through her abilities.

They want her to be remembered for the person she was and the career she worked so hard to build — not reduced to questions about her age.

HER INSTRUCTOR REFUSES TO SPECULATE ABOUT THE CAUSE

For Chris Kirk, the loss is deeply personal.

He told PEOPLE that Nathalia was a wonderful person who was respected and adored by those who knew her.

“Because I was close to her, it ripped my heart out and left me with a deep feeling of emptiness,” he said.

Despite the grief, Kirk has been careful not to speculate about what caused the aircraft to crash.

He believes Nathalia’s final radio transmissions could provide investigators with important information about the aircraft’s condition during the emergency.

He also praised her ability to continue making deliberate communications under extraordinary pressure.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash.

As of November 7, investigators had not announced a definitive cause. The cockpit voice recorder had also not yet been located, according to the Associated Press.

Investigators were examining the aircraft wreckage and other evidence to establish what happened during the flight’s final moments.

NINE LIVES LOST — AND A DREAM REMEMBERED

The crash claimed nine lives, leaving multiple families facing an unimaginable loss.

For Nathalia’s loved ones, the grief is made even more difficult by the knowledge that she was only 20 years old and had so much more of her life ahead of her.

She had earned her pilot’s licence as a teenager, built up more than 1,300 flight hours and secured a position in the cockpit of a Learjet 60.

For her father, she was the daughter who shared his love of flying.

For Chris Kirk, she was the student who stood out during four decades of teaching — a young woman whose enthusiasm for aviation was impossible to forget.

And for those who have followed her story, her final radio transmissions have become part of a lasting tribute to her professionalism under unimaginable pressure.

The investigation will continue to seek answers about what happened to the aircraft.

But Kirk’s message is clear: he wants Nathalia remembered not simply for the tragedy that took her life, but for the remarkable passion and talent she brought to the skies.

“She was a 100 percent natural born pilot,” he wrote.

A young woman who dreamed of flying, worked hard to make that dream real, and left behind memories that her family, friends and mentors will carry for years to come.

May Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras and all eight other victims rest in peace.