That was the chilling audio from the cockpit in the final moments on board a Learjet flight that ended in a fiery crash on a Florida street on Sunday. Nine people were killed November 1 when the Learjet 60 aircraft crashed in Palm Beach County, about 9 miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. The co-pilot has been identified by family members as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, who grew up in Palm Beach County and has been flying since she was 17.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Newsweek that the aircraft departed from Austin, Texas, and was headed to the Bahamas. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates,” an FAA spokesperson said. Flight analysis indicates that the jet was plummeting hundreds of feet per second before crashing just moments after a mayday call was issued at 12:47 p.m.
In audio recorded moments before the crash, someone in the cockpit can be heard reporting "moderate turbulence" and that the crew was "managing the ice.” Just 35 seconds after the initial mayday announcement, the last words from the cockpit were "we're out of time.” Gadelha Filgueiras’ mother, Camila, and stepfather confirmed to the New York Post on Monday that she was the co-pilot. The family also confirmed the identity to WPEC in West Palm Beach. The identification came just hours after Emily Shelton, a pilot who posts aviation-related content online, denied she was on the aircraft amid speculation.
Gadelha Filgueiras was a senior at West Boca Raton High School when she gained her pilot’s license in 2023, before she even got her driver’s license. She explained that she had begun pilot lessons in 2020 but had lessons with her dad, who learned to fly in 2018. 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.” She graduated from American Flyers, an Addison, Texas-based flying school with a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida.
In posts on social media, Gadelha Filgueiras’ mother often shared pictures of the family flying together in small planes, while her sister reposted a video on TikTok in the hours after the crash that said: “RIP to the female flying the plane and everyone else on board.” Footage posted to social media showed a dashcam recording of the moment of the crash. Vehicles are driving on the suburban street when an aircraft nosedives into the ground, exploding into a ball of fire. "When you see that video, it's a jarring thing,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters on Sunday night.
Department of Transportation pointed Newsweek to a statement issued by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy when approached for comment. Duffy described the crash as a "horrific tragedy,” adding: “Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost.” The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, with updates expected later Monday. Newsweek reached out to public affairs for Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach medical examiner and the media office for the National Transportation Safety Board for comment.
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