The Learjet that plummeted into a Florida road, killing nine people, was involved in a separate incident weeks prior where its female pilot reportedly downplayed turbulence to air traffic control. This information emerged following the fatal crash of the $2 million jet just outside West Palm Beach, Florida, which left a significant crater upon impact. The Daily Mail has uncovered audio recordings from a prior incident involving the aircraft.
In the earlier event, the pilot of the Learjet was heard being admonished by air traffic control for downplaying turbulence, a maneuver that investigators will likely scrutinize in light of the subsequent fatal crash. The audio suggests a potential pattern of underestimating hazardous conditions. The identity of the pilot involved in the earlier incident and the co-pilot in the fatal crash, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, have been released.
The fatal crash, which occurred en route to a party in Austin, Texas, saw the jet descend almost vertically before impacting the ground. Federal authorities are now conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.