The co-pilot of a Learjet 60 that crashed in South Florida, killing all nine people on board, has been identified by her family as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, a 20-year-old aviator. The aircraft was en route from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it plunged from the sky on Sunday afternoon.
Video captured a large fireball erupting near a neighborhood after the plane impacted the ground, leaving a crater in a road. According to audio released by LiveATC.net, a female pilot calmly reported moderate turbulence and ice accumulating on the aircraft, with the outside temperature at -47 degrees Celsius, shortly before the pilot's calls became increasingly frantic.
"We’re going to crash into the ground!" the pilot exclaimed shortly before contact was lost. The plane was reportedly descending at a rate of 20,000 feet per minute at a 60-degree angle.
Investigators are considering the freezing weather and reported turbulence as potential factors in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is examining evidence of possible aircraft breakup before impact, which could mean scattered debris. An NTSB official indicated the investigation is in its early stages and expected to be a multi-day process. While there is some indication that a cockpit voice recorder may not have been on board, investigators stated they can proceed without it.
Filgueiras’ stepfather told The New York Post that she had accumulated 1,300 flight hours and had texted her boyfriend about turbulence and ice just 10 minutes prior to the crash. Her mother stated that Filgueiras had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months and had obtained her commercial pilot’s license in March and her flight instructor certificate the previous February.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, citing his own aviation experience, urged against premature conclusions about the crash. He noted that commercial pilots are often hired early in their careers in the charter industry to gain experience alongside a captain before moving to airlines, suggesting that Filgueiras would have had the appropriate training and qualifications.