A 20-year-old Brazilian-American aviator, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, has been identified as the co-pilot killed alongside eight other people when a private Learjet 60 crashed into a residential area in South Florida, United States.
Filgueiras was aboard the aircraft when it plunged into a neighbourhood in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, on Sunday, November 1, 2026, shortly before 1 p.m. local time. The jet erupted into flames after striking the ground, killing all nine people on board.
Her family confirmed her identity following the crash, describing her as a young woman who had pursued her passion for aviation from an early age and was already building a professional flying career.
Filgueiras achieved a remarkable milestone in 2023 when she earned her private pilot’s licence at the age of 17 while attending West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida. At the time, she was still without a driving licence, a detail that attracted attention when local television station CBS12 featured her aviation journey.
The school district reportedly supported her training through its aviation academy, which introduced students to flying through practical lessons, simulators and other aviation-related activities.
Her early achievement was only the beginning of a career she hoped would eventually take her into commercial airline aviation. According to reports based on interviews with her family, she had accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours and had worked as a commercial pilot for about nine months before the fatal accident.
Her mother, Camila Corteleti, expressed profound grief over the loss, saying she had always feared that flying could one day take her daughter away, even as she remained proud of the young woman’s determination to pursue her dream.
Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, also disclosed that Filgueiras had sent a message to her boyfriend, who is also a pilot, shortly before the aircraft went down. The message reportedly read, “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.”
The aircraft was travelling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when the disaster occurred. It was carrying two crew members and seven passengers.
According to air traffic control recordings, the flight crew reported icing conditions, turbulence and precipitation while cruising at approximately 35,000 feet. The pilots requested permission to climb to a higher altitude, but the situation deteriorated rapidly.
A pilot subsequently declared an emergency as the aircraft entered a steep descent. Radio communications captured increasingly alarming reports of the jet losing altitude at an extraordinary rate before the crew issued a mayday call.
One of the final transmissions included a pilot saying, “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
The aircraft eventually struck the ground near Military Trail in Greenacres, producing a massive fireball and leaving wreckage and a crater at the scene. Emergency responders rushed to the area, while nearby residents were affected by evacuations and safety restrictions.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration, is investigating the accident.
An early update from the investigation indicated that the aircraft may have begun breaking apart before hitting the ground. Investigators are examining the wreckage, weather conditions, maintenance history and recorded communications to establish the sequence of events.
Although the crew’s reports of icing and turbulence have become central to early discussions surrounding the disaster, authorities have not established that either condition caused the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
Filgueiras’ death has drawn attention to a young aviator whose career began with an unusual achievement in high school and who had already accumulated substantial flying experience before turning 21.
For her family, however, the promising career and childhood dream have ended in an unimaginable tragedy. She would have celebrated her 21st birthday in January 2027.
