Father of Learjet copilot speaks

Allan Filgueiras held a news conference on Friday to discuss the life and career of his daughter, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, the 20-year-old copilot who died in a Learjet 60 crash. The aircraft descended 35,000 feet into a South Florida roadway on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. Filgueiras described his daughter as his soulmate and noted that he feels his life is incomplete without her to discuss aviation.

Nathalia held a commercial pilot and flight instructor license, and FAA records indicate she was qualified to serve as a first officer on the Learjet 60. She graduated from American Flyers, an aviation school in the United States. Her father recalled that she learned to fly when he was 12 and obtained her pilot’s license by age 17, a credential she received before obtaining a driver’s license.

Audio from the flight’s final minutes captured Nathalia’s voice as she reported turbulence and light icing to air traffic control. She later declared an emergency as the plane lost altitude rapidly. Her final transmission stated, “We’re out of time.” The jet had been navigating around a thunderstorm near Florida’s Gulf Coast before the sudden descent.

NTSB member Tom Chapman stated that weather is a key focus of the investigation. Investigators recovered pieces of the jet’s left elevator between 1.3 and 3.8 miles from the impact site. This distance suggests the tail component detached before the plane struck the ground, though it remains unclear if the loss caused the dive or resulted from it. The agency is still excavating the crater to find the cockpit voice recorder and remaining wreckage.

Attorney Stuart Grossman, representing the family, said they are not making allegations against any party. He stated the family intends to listen to the government’s findings and consult experts to verify the results. Grossman urged the public to allow the NTSB to conduct its work without outside interference.

Allan Filgueiras said he spent the last afternoon with his daughter at a boat show four days before the crash. He described feeling a sudden, unexplained sadness after they parted ways. He plans to continue flying to honor her memory, noting that she often acted as his instructor to keep his skills sharp.

The Learjet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. The victims included seven passengers and two pilots. Footage from a vehicle dashboard camera showed the plane striking the road. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the descent as looking like a missile. Investigators are continuing to search for clues at the impact site.