20-year-old Florida Learjet pilot texted boyfriend minutes before crash that killed nine

The 20-year-old who was co-pilot of the Learjet plane that crashed in Florida had texted her boyfriend just minutes before the tragedy happened. 

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was in contact with her loved ones and air-traffic control in the final minutes before impact. The crash killed all nine who had been on board. She explained she had been experiencing turbulence, just before the plane nosedived and hit the ground at speed in Palm Beach County on Sunday afternoon.

“She texted her boyfriend, I think, at 12:40pm and the accident was at 12:50pm,” her’ stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, told The Post. “She just said, ‘I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice’.” The Learjet jet then dropped more than 27,000 feet in just over a minute.

Her family revealed that despite her young age, the pilot already had over 1,300 hours of flying experience. She frequently flew alongside her boyfriend, and shared photos of them on planes together. 

via Matias J Ocner/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Devastating air traffic control audio from the crash has revealed that Nathalia also shared these concerns with control. The pilot reported ice accumulating on the outside of the aircraft minutes before the crash, with an outside air temperature of -47 degrees Celsius. 

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“We’re managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence,” she said. The air traffic control officer replied: “Let me know if you need anything else, I’m just working you in my airspace right now.” They then assured Nathalia that there would be less turbulence up ahead. 

However, moments later, the pilot called the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre again with a more panicked voice. “We’re descending 8,000… Mayday, mayday, we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” she said. “Declaring emergency. We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute.”

The aircraft had departed from Austin, Texas, and was heading to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas with two pilots and seven passengers on board. The Learjet 60 crashed into a busy road in a residential neighbourhood near Cresthaven at about 12:50pm local time. 

The cause of the crash remains unknown at this time. 

For more, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image via Threads and Matias J Ocner/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock.