The friends and family of Nathalia Filgueiras, a 20-year-old pilot who died in a fiery crash in Florida, have spoken out for the first time.
Filgueiras and co-pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, were killed Sunday when the Learjet they were flying lost control and nosedived tens of thousands of feet into the ground in West Palm Beach, Florida. The aircraft exploded into a fireball upon impact, killing all nine people on board and leaving a massive crater and a half-mile debris field. Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
'All we know is that our daughter is down there, under the ground with that airplane,' said Filgueiras's stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
Mikaela Schluth, a longtime friend of Filgueiras, told CBS Mornings that she was proud of the young pilot but found the air traffic control audio of the final moments to be deeply disturbing. "She was able to stay calm and give information, up until the last minute," Schluth said, calling the audio "the worst thing I've ever heard."
Air traffic controllers in Miami had reportedly warned the pilots about moderate precipitation to the southeast, describing the conditions as "pretty nasty" as the jet approached the area. The controllers then reported hearing "moderate turbulence."
Filgueiras's tone shifted to panic as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude. In the harrowing audio, she reported descending 8,000 feet, then declared a "mayday." Seconds later, she stated the plane was in an "overspeed condition" and descending at 10,000 feet per minute. Her voice grew more distressed as she reported descending 20,000 feet per minute and "banking 60 degrees." Her final transmission was "We're out of time."
Weather conditions in West Palm Beach at the time included overcast skies, rain, lightning, and winds gusting up to 25 mph. Footage of the crash showed the Learjet impacting the road at high speed.
National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman stated Monday that the aircraft appeared to be breaking apart before impact, and that debris might be found spread over a wide area.
The Learjet had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to the Bahamas. Among the nine victims were tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, Emma and Charlie, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and another couple, Rachel Reed and Charmi Fehr.
A joint statement from the families described Adam and Helen Robinson as devoted parents and their children as "the light of their lives." The statement also remembered Reed and Fehr as individuals "full of joy and adventure" and Cetina for her "tenderness and devotion" to the children.