Nathalia Gadelha, a 20-year-old aspiring airline pilot, was serving as copilot aboard the private jet that crashed into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday, killing all nine people on board, according to a report confirmed by her mother and stepfather.
The Learjet 60 was flying from Texas to the Bahamas when it went down in Palm Beach County. Gadelha grew up in the area and earned her private pilot’s license at age 17, while still a student at West Boca Raton High School.
In a 2023 interview, she joked that she could fly even though she wasn’t yet old enough to drive. She had begun taking flying lessons in 2020 and also learned from her father, who had taken up recreational flying two years earlier.
Gadelha logged 88 hours of flight time while working toward her license. Her training was funded through the Palm Beach County school district’s Aviation Academy. She later graduated from American Flyers, a flight school with locations in Texas and Florida.
She had said she hoped to become a commercial airline pilot. In a recent social media post, Gadelha shared a video of herself flying with her boyfriend, Justin, and noted that both had earned several aviation certifications and instructor ratings before turning 21.
The jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. It crashed near Cresthaven, Florida, at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later confirmed that all nine people aboard had died.
Air traffic control recordings indicate that the crew reported ice buildup and moderate turbulence. The pilots then asked to climb another 2,000 feet before declaring an emergency as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude.
One pilot reported a descent of 8,000 feet and then called mayday, saying the plane was descending at 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot later reported an overspeed condition and a descent of 20,000 feet per minute, warning that the aircraft was about to hit the ground.
Dashcam video showed the jet diving nose-first into the neighborhood. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the crash “cataclysmic.” Local officials said about 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The cause of the crash has not been determined, and the NTSB is expected to provide an update Monday.
