FATHER OF 20-YEAR-OLD CO-PILOT BREAKS DOWN RECALLING HIS DAUGHTER AFTER FLORIDA PRIVATE JET CRASH: “I WANTED TO BE BY HER SIDE”

A grieving father is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his 20-year-old daughter after a private jet crashed in Florida, claiming the lives of all nine people aboard.

Nathalia Filgueiras, a young co-pilot who had dreamed of flying from an early age, was among the victims of the devastating Learjet 60 crash in Palm Beach County on Sunday, November 1.

Her father, Allan Filgueiras, a pilot himself, spoke publicly about his daughter on Friday, November 6. Fighting back tears, he described Nathalia as an extraordinary young woman whose passion for aviation had shaped much of her life.

“She was gifted and my soul mate,” Allan told reporters.

The news conference was organized by the family’s legal representatives, who emphasized that their purpose was not to announce legal action or make accusations. Instead, they wanted to preserve Nathalia’s memory, honor her achievements and ensure that her reputation was remembered.

“The purpose of this is to preserve not just her memory but her reputation,” attorney Stuart Grossman explained.

A GIRL WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH FLYING AT JUST 12

Nathalia’s passion for aviation began when she was still a child.

According to her family, Allan introduced her to flying when she was around 12 years old. He would take her up in the air, and those early experiences quickly developed into a lifelong dream.

Her dedication was remarkable. Nathalia obtained her pilot’s license before she even learned how to drive a car, an achievement that attracted attention from local media approximately three years ago.

By the time of the crash, she had accumulated more than 1,300 hours of flight experience.

Her family’s attorney described her as far more than an average pilot.

“Nathalia was beyond an average pilot. She was extraordinary,” Grossman said.

For Allan, watching his daughter pursue the same passion that had once brought them together was a source of immense pride.

He remembered how happy she had been to finally turn her love of flying into a profession.

She once told him that she could hardly believe she was being paid to do something she would happily pay to experience herself.

“Dad, can you believe — can you believe that I would pay for this, but they’re actually paying me? You know, I would pay for this, but I’m actually getting paid.”

Those words have taken on an even deeper meaning for her father as he remembers the daughter who was happiest when she was in the air.

According to the emergency audio, the situation deteriorated rapidly after the aircraft encountered icing conditions, weather difficulties and turbulence.

Nathalia communicated with air traffic control as the aircraft experienced a dangerous descent.

“We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute,” she warned.

The emergency continued to escalate.

In another communication, she told the controller:

“We’re gonna crash into the ground. … We are descending at 22,000 feet and we are banking 60 degrees.”

The recording captures the urgency of the situation as the pilots attempted to communicate with officials on the ground.

Despite the frightening circumstances, Nathalia continued speaking with air traffic control.

The aircraft ultimately crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing everyone aboard.

NINE LIVES LOST IN A DEVASTATING TRAGEDY

The crash also claimed the lives of seven passengers, including a family of four, their nanny and two friends.

Among those killed were Adam Robinson, Helen Sharp and their two children, Emma and Charlie.

The loss has left multiple families grieving loved ones whose lives were cut short during the flight.

Allan’s attorneys also expressed condolences to the families and friends of everyone who perished, emphasizing that Nathalia’s loved ones were sharing in their grief.

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

Despite the overwhelming pain, Allan wanted the world to remember something beyond the circumstances of his daughter’s final flight.

He wanted people to remember her courage.

Reflecting on the emergency recording, he said Nathalia continued fighting even as the situation became increasingly desperate.

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

He added that when faced with the prospect of disaster, many people might struggle to cope, but Nathalia continued trying until the very last moment.

For Allan, that determination represents the daughter he knew: talented, passionate, brave and deeply in love with flying.

Federal authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash. As of the November 6 news conference, the exact circumstances that led to the disaster had not been determined.

For Nathalia’s father, however, the investigation cannot change the most painful reality: the daughter he once took into the sky, the young woman who dreamed of becoming a pilot, is no longer coming home.

She was only 20 years old.

And in the middle of unimaginable grief, her father hopes the world will remember her not simply as a young co-pilot aboard a doomed aircraft, but as a gifted aviator who loved what she did and made her family incredibly proud.

“I WANTED TO BE BY HER SIDE”

One of the most heartbreaking moments of the news conference came when Allan was asked what he would say to Nathalia if he could speak to her again.

Overcome with emotion, he expressed the wish that has haunted him since the tragedy.

“I wanted to be by her side, inside her plane, to help … I had to be next to her.”

As a fellow pilot, Allan understood the dangers of aviation. But knowing the risks did not make the loss of his daughter any easier to bear.

He also revealed that he had listened to the recording of Nathalia’s emergency communication with air traffic control many times.

He was desperately searching for a clue that might help him understand what had happened during those final moments.

For a father who had introduced his daughter to flying, the thought of her facing such a terrifying situation without him was almost unbearable.

THE FINAL MAYDAY CALL THAT REVEALED A DESPERATE STRUGGLE

Nathalia was serving as co-pilot alongside senior pilot Jeff Gregory when the Learjet 60 encountered severe weather during a journey