By TheDailyNewsHub Reporter
A 20-year-old co-pilot killed in Sunday’s Learjet crash in Palm Beach County, Florida, has been identified as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, a young aviation enthusiast who obtained her private pilot’s licence at just 17.
She was among nine people killed when the private jet crashed into a neighbourhood in South Florida on November 1. TheDailyNewsHub previously reported on the Learjet crash that killed all nine people aboard after a rapid descent into a Florida neighbourhood.
Her mother, Camila Corteleti, confirmed her identity to media organisations following the tragedy.
Filgueiras grew up in Palm Beach County and attended West Boca Raton Community High School, where she participated in the school district’s aviation programme.
She attracted local media attention in October 2023 after earning her private pilot’s certificate at 17, before obtaining a driving licence.
In an interview at the time, she joked about the unusual achievement, saying people found it amusing that she could fly an aircraft but could not drive a car.
Her training was supported by the Palm Beach County School District’s Aviation Academy, which provides students with aviation education, flight simulators and practical training opportunities.
According to the Associated Press, her mother identified her as the co-pilot aboard the Learjet 60, which was travelling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
Before the crash, the flight crew reportedly communicated concerns about icing and moderate turbulence to air traffic controllers. The aircraft subsequently experienced a rapid loss of altitude, prompting an emergency declaration.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident to establish what caused the aircraft to plunge towards the ground.
Although icing and turbulence were reported before the crash, investigators have not established whether either condition contributed to the accident.
Filgueiras’ death has drawn attention to her early achievements in aviation and the promising career she was pursuing before the fatal accident.