20-YEAR-OLD CO-PILOT NATHALIA GADELHA IDENTIFIED AMONG 9 KILLED IN FLORIDA LEARJET CRASH AS FINAL MAYDAY CALL REVEALS TERRIFYING MOMENTS

The young aviator earned her pilot’s license at 17 and had reportedly logged around 1,300 flight hours. Audio from the aircraft’s final communications captures the crew reporting ice, turbulence and a rapidly worsening emergency.

A 20-year-old pilot whose passion for aviation began while she was still in high school has been identified as one of nine people killed when a private Learjet crashed in Florida.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was serving as co-pilot aboard the Learjet 60 when it plunged into a residential area in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Her family confirmed her identity to multiple news outlets.

The aircraft was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it lost radar and radio contact before crashing at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time. All nine people aboard — two crew members and seven passengers — died.

The crash left a large crater near a residential community and sent flames and thick smoke into the air. Video recorded by witnesses showed the aircraft descending rapidly before erupting into a fireball on impact.

A young woman who achieved her flying dream at 17

Nathalia’s journey into aviation began years before the tragic flight.

She reportedly started taking flying lessons in 2020 while still a teenager. In October 2023, at just 17, she earned her private pilot’s license while attending West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida.

Her achievement attracted attention because she had obtained a pilot’s license before getting her driver’s license.

Her family said she had accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours and had been working as a commercial pilot for around nine months. She had also previously worked as a flight instructor.

Her mother, Camila Corteleti, described her daughter’s love of flying in an interview with The New York Times.

“She loved the freedom,” her mother said. “It was completely different seeing the world from the top.”

According to the Associated Press, Nathalia’s pilot qualifications included a rating for the Learjet model involved in the crash, although her license did not authorize her to serve as pilot in command of that flight.

Final emergency communications capture the crew’s desperate situation

As investigators work to establish what happened, recordings of the aircraft’s final communications with air traffic control have revealed how quickly the situation deteriorated.

According to audio reviewed by PEOPLE, a female pilot initially described the conditions as manageable, reporting light clear icing and moderate turbulence while the aircraft was flying at approximately 35,000 feet.

The crew also reported an outside temperature of around minus 47 degrees Celsius.

The pilot asked air traffic control whether better flying conditions were expected ahead. Shortly afterward, the cockpit reported precipitation and requested permission to climb.

The situation then changed dramatically.

In the recording, the pilot reported that the aircraft was descending at 8,000 feet per minute before issuing a mayday call and reporting a descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute.

Moments later, the emergency intensified.

“We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot reported.

When air traffic control asked what assistance the crew needed, the pilot responded: “We’re gonna crash into the ground.”

The recording captured a scream, followed by further updates about the aircraft’s descent and steep banking angle. A man could also be heard apparently reciting the Lord’s Prayer in the background.

The final reported transmission included the words: “We’re out of time.”

Although the recording captures a female pilot speaking during the emergency, it has not been established who was at the controls. Nathalia’s family confirmed that she was the co-pilot, but the available information does not independently establish that she was the person speaking throughout the recording.

Investigators examine evidence of possible midair breakup

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.

At a news conference on November 2, NTSB board member Tom Chapman said investigators had found evidence suggesting that the aircraft may have begun breaking apart before striking the ground. Debris could be scattered beyond the main impact site, making the recovery and examination of the wreckage particularly challenging.

Weather conditions are a major focus of the investigation. The crew had reported icing, turbulence and precipitation before the aircraft entered its rapid descent. However, investigators have not determined whether those conditions caused or contributed to the crash.

The NTSB said the aircraft was originally equipped with a cockpit voice recorder and that investigators hoped to recover it. The recording, if recovered and usable, could provide important information about what happened inside the cockpit.

Authorities have not announced a definitive cause of the crash.

Nine lives lost in a devastating tragedy

The Learjet carried seven passengers and two crew members. Among those identified by relatives were technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their two young children.

A motorist near the crash site also suffered leg injuries, according to investigators. Residents of a nearby mobile-home community were temporarily displaced while emergency crews and investigators examined the scene.

For Nathalia’s family, the tragedy has taken a young woman who had spent years pursuing her dream of flying.

At only 20, she had already built considerable experience in aviation and begun a professional career. Her story has drawn attention not only because of the devastating circumstances of the crash, but also because of the ambition and dedication that had shaped her journey.

As investigators continue searching for answers, her family and the families of the other victims are left to mourn nine lives lost in a tragedy whose cause remains unknown.