A 20-year-old co-pilot who dreamed of flying since childhood has been identified as one of nine people killed when a private jet plunged from the sky and exploded in a Florida neighborhood, just minutes after she sent her boyfriend a troubling message about conditions in the air.
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, who earned her pilot’s license before she could legally drive, was aboard the doomed Learjet 60 when it crashed Sunday, November 1, in Greenacres, Palm Beach County. Her mother and stepfather confirmed her death Monday, revealing heartbreaking details about the young aviator’s final moments.
Filgueiras had reportedly been communicating with her boyfriend, Justin, a fellow pilot, roughly 10 minutes before the crash. According to her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, she mentioned turbulence and ice developing during the flight.
“I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice,” she reportedly wrote.
The private jet had departed Austin, Texas, and was heading to the Bahamas when its crew began reporting increasingly dangerous flying conditions over South Florida.
Air traffic control recordings captured a pilot describing ice accumulating on the aircraft and moderate turbulence. Moments later, the situation deteriorated dramatically as the jet began losing altitude at an extraordinary rate.
“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” a pilot radioed before warning that the aircraft had entered an overspeed condition.
The descent reportedly exceeded 20,000 feet per minute as the crew desperately tried to regain control.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” a pilot said in the final radio transmissions.
Seconds later, the jet slammed into the ground near Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard, erupting into a massive fireball that was captured on camera. All nine people aboard were killed, while the impact left a large crater and forced hundreds of nearby residents to evacuate.
For Filgueiras’ grieving family, the tragedy was especially devastating because flying had been her greatest passion.
Her mother, Camila, recalled how her daughter became determined to pursue aviation after accompanying her father on a flight in his small airplane.
“I wanted her to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me,” Camila told The New York Post.
“I always knew it but I was so proud of her. I know she was living her dream,” she added.
Filgueiras grew up in Palm Beach County and attracted local attention in October 2023 when she earned her private pilot’s license at just 17 while attending West Boca Raton High School.
At the time, she proudly joked about achieving a milestone most teenagers could only dream of before even obtaining her driver’s license.
“Yeah, but I can fly,” she told CBS12 when describing how she responded to people who teased her about not being able to drive.
Her passion quickly became a career. After completing flight training, she worked as an instructor in Fort Lauderdale before securing a commercial flying position. Her family said she had accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours and had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months.
Filgueiras, who would have celebrated her 21st birthday in January, hoped to eventually become an airline pilot. Her mother said she had impressed employers with her talent and dedication despite her young age.
“Everybody was so impressed with her. They hired her because they knew how good she was and how much she loved it,” Camila recalled.
The young pilot frequently shared photographs and videos of her aviation adventures, including flights alongside her boyfriend, who was also pursuing a career in the skies.
Meanwhile, federal investigators are working to determine what caused the Learjet to suddenly plunge from cruising altitude.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration. Although the crew reported icing and turbulence shortly before the crash, officials have not determined whether weather conditions, mechanical problems or other factors contributed to the disaster.
Authorities had not publicly identified the other eight victims as of Monday.
For Filgueiras’ family, the loss is almost impossible to comprehend. The young woman who once proudly told the world she could fly before she could drive had accomplished her childhood dream, only to have her promising career end in tragedy.
“I know if she could pick a way to go, this would be her way to go,” her mother said. “But I didn’t want it to be so soon.”
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