Nine killed in Learjet crash in Florida; 20-year-old co-pilot identified
A Learjet 60 flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to the Bahamas crashed near Cresthaven, Florida, at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. All nine people aboard died.
The co-pilot was identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras. Her mother, Camila, and stepfather confirmed to the New York Post that she was on the flight.
Dashcam video appears to show the jet diving nose-first toward a road in Palm Beach County before erupting into a fireball. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described the scene as a “cataclysmic plane crash,” saying the aircraft looked like a missile and left a large crater beside the road.
DeSantis said there were no reports of deaths or injuries among people on the ground. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said about 600 people were affected by the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating and plans to hold a news conference Monday.
Air traffic control recordings reviewed by CNN indicate that the pilot reported ice building up on the aircraft, an outside temperature of minus 52.6 degrees Fahrenheit and moderate turbulence. The pilot then told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center the plane was descending and declared an emergency.
“We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute!” the pilot said in a mayday call. A little later, the pilot reported the aircraft was descending at 20,000 feet per minute and said they were going to crash.
Flight-tracking data showed the jet, tail number N722BD, dropping from 35,025 feet to 8,750 feet in just over two minutes. The data stopped shortly afterward. Its last recorded ground speed was more than 268 miles per hour.
The New York Post reported that the female crew member’s final words captured in the recording were that they were out of time.
Filgueiras appeared in a 2023 television report after earning her pilot’s license. She joked that people found it strange she could fly a plane but could not drive a car, adding that she wanted to get her driver’s license.
She also appeared to be behind a TikTok account called “learjet_girl,” which featured videos filmed in Learjet cockpits.
