Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha, 20, identified after private jet crash killed 9 people on board
The identity of the co-pilot who was killed in the South Florida plane crash has been confirmed as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha.
Gadelha, who grew up in Palm Beach County and went to West Boca Raton High School, was previously featured in local news when she got her private pilot’s license aged just 17 in October 2023, reports the New York Post.
On Sunday (1 November), a business jet carrying nine people nosedived into a neighbourhood in Florida and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes before crashing near a busy road.
Gadelha's mother, Camila, and her stepfather have since confirmed to the Post that tragically, she was the one co-piloting the plane when it crashed.
The US transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, also confirmed that everyone on board was killed in the horrific accident.
He outlined that the aircraft, a Learjet 60, departed from Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas, but crashed in Palm Beach County at 12.50pm local time.
The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the cause, he added.
Video recorded by people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the aircraft plunged from the sky, before striking near the road and exploding.
Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater as people milled about, expressing shock that it landed only feet from homes and only inches from passing vehicles.
In October 2023, Gadelha told CBS 12 about her achievements: “I definitely do brag because people say, ‘oh you can’t drive,' and I’m like, 'yeah but I can fly'."
She told the outlet that she started Ground School in 2020 going into sophomore year, but also learned from her dad, who began flying for fun in 2018. The School District of Palm Beach County paid for Nathalia to get her Private Pilot's License through their Aviation Academy.
Gadelha, who also went by Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras and Nathalia Filgueiras online, added: “I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it’s cool that like it’s not really an opportunity, I just didn’t do it, and this is how it ended up.
"But I think it’s cool. Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it’s funny. I think it’s funny and I now want my (drivers) license really bad."
It comes after Fox News released an audio clip of one of the pilot’s last words to air traffic control.
Speaking on the radio, they declared: “Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000. Mayday, mayday, we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!"
Air traffic control then responded: “November seven two two bravo, delta, roger.”
And the pilot replied: “Declaring emergency!”
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has said the crash left a crater in the ground and spewed debris, but there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed, he said.
He told reporters at the scene on Sunday: “It was a cataclysmic plane crash. It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”
Authorities did not immediately say what caused the jet to go down or who was on it, but the plane was heading east at 35,000ft when pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation and requested to climb 2,000ft, as reported by the Press Association.
Moments later, the plane entered a steep dive, first 10,000ft per minute, then 20,000ft per minute, and up to 30,000ft per minute, speeding the aircraft beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.
The plane banked sharply to the right before it crashed steeply into the ground, and minutes before the crash, one of the pilots reported ice accumulating on the jet and turbulence that was jolting it by as much as 700ft, according to air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net.
As per PA, they told controllers: “We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence."
However, the situation rapidly deteriorated, and after encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot radioed before saying: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
Topics: News, US News, World News
Madison Burgess