The co-pilot of the aircraft that went down in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday has been identified as a young woman who earned her pilot’s license while she was still in high school.
Twenty-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras’ mother and stepfather confirmed to the New York Post she was the co-pilot inside the Learjet 60 that crashed, the outlet reported Monday.
All nine people who were aboard the jet were declared dead, Breitbart News reported Sunday.
The plane was journeying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when the tragedy happened.
Video footage showed the terrifying moment the plane crashed into the pavement and erupted into a fireball:
The young woman’s mother, Camila, said her daughter had been working as a commercial pilot for several months and her husband said the young woman had 1,300 hours of flying experience under her belt.
“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 Post. “I knew that a plane was gonna take her away from me. I always knew it, but I was so proud of her. I know she was living her dream.”
In a social media post on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the incident a “horrific tragedy” and said authorities were investigating.
“Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost — @FAANews & @USDOT are closely monitoring this crash and will share updates as we learn more,” he added:
ATC audio recorded the moments before the crash when a young woman was heard screaming:
The Post article said the jet went into a nosedive and plummeted 20,000 feet per minute. When the aircraft hit the ground, it left a massive crater in the pavement. Video footage showed neighbors standing near the site and sirens were heard as emergency crews rushed to the scene:
The young pilot texted her boyfriend minutes before the crash, telling him they were experiencing turbulence and ice.
“The young aviator, who grew up in Palm Beach County, was previously featured in local media when she got her private pilot’s license at just 17 back in October 2023 — before she even had her driver’s license,” the Post article read, noting the eight other people who lost their lives have yet to be publicly identified.
