Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20 years old, was identified by her family as the co-pilot of the Learjet 60 that crashed on Sunday, November 1, in Palm Beach, Florida, resulting in the deaths of all nine occupants. The young woman had obtained her private pilot license at the age of 17 while she was still in high school, even before getting her driver's license.
Her mother, Camila, and her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, confirmed her identity and that she was traveling as a co-pilot in statements to the New York Post, published on Monday, November 2. The identification comes from her relatives, not from an official victim list released by the investigating authorities.
She obtained her pilot's license before her driver's license
The story of Nathalia had already appeared in local media. On October 24, 2023, CBS12 (WPEC) published an interview with the student from West Boca Raton High School, who was then 17 years old and had just obtained her private pilot license in September.
In that interview, the young woman explained that she still did not have a driver's license, although she was already able to fly. She had started her theoretical training in 2020 and had accumulated 88 flight hours when CBS12 published the report. The Palm Beach County School District had funded her training to obtain the license through its Aviation Academy program.
Her interest in aviation began in childhood. Her father flew as a hobby, and Nathalia aspired to become a pilot for an airline or for private planes, as she explained to the local network.
A professional career at 20 years old
Nathalia's mother told the New York Post that her daughter had been working as a commercial pilot for about nine months. Her stepfather estimated that she had accumulated around 1,300 flight hours. These details were provided by the family to the newspaper and are not an official certification from the FAA.
The newspaper also indicated that, after continuing her aviation training, the young woman had worked as a flight instructor before taking another job as a pilot. The private license she received at 17 was the beginning of her training, not the qualification that alone allows one to work professionally as a co-pilot of a Learjet.
The Learjet 60 accident in Florida
The aircraft had taken off from Austin, Texas, and was headed to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it crashed into a residential area of Palm Beach County. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that it was a Learjet 60.
In the latest communications from the crew with air traffic controllers, ice, turbulence, and a very rapid loss of altitude were reported. These recordings alone do not allow us to determine what caused the accident or to definitively identify each person who spoke over the radio.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation with support from the FAA. The cause of the incident has not been officially determined.
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