Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha sent final text to boyfriend about turbulence before horrifying crash
A young Learjet co-pilot reportedly sent a heartbreaking final message to her boyfriend about turbulence and ice just minutes before the aircraft crashed in Florida, killing everyone on board.
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was co-piloting the Learjet 60 when it plunged into a residential area in Palm Beach County on Sunday (1 Nov).
Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, told the New York Post that Nathalia had messaged her boyfriend, who is also a pilot, shortly before the fatal crash.
"She texted her boyfriend, I think, at 12:40 p.m. and the accident was at 12:50 p.m.," he said.
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Corteleti added: "She just said, 'I've got turbulence, I've got ice.'"
The aircraft had departed Austin, Texas, at 10.37am local time, bound for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
According to investigators, the crew reported ice and turbulence to air traffic control at 12.47pm and requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet.
Less than 30 seconds later, the situation deteriorated dramatically, with the crew reporting a rapid descent and declaring a mayday.
At 12.48pm, the crew radioed: "We're descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000 feet per minute."
They then reported: "We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute."
Moments later, the crew said: "We're going to crash into the ground."
All nine people aboard the aircraft died in the crash, including Gadelha and the pilot, 55-year-old Jeff Gregory.
The passengers were identified as businessman Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the disaster.
Officials have said there is evidence the aircraft may have started breaking apart before hitting the ground, although its probable cause has not yet been established.
Gadelha's death comes after her family confirmed her identity following the tragedy.
She had earned her private pilot's licence aged just 17, having started ground school in 2020. She was also reported to have accumulated around 1,300 hours of flying experience.
Speaking to CBS 12 in 2023, Gadelha proudly joked about being able to fly before she could drive.
"I definitely do brag because people say, 'oh you can't drive,' and I'm like, 'yeah but I can fly'," she said.
Her family, alongside those of the other victims, are now mourning the nine lives lost in the devastating crash as investigators work to establish exactly what happened in the aircraft's final moments.
Rhianna Benson
