Her last text became a heartbreaking part of a flight that killed nine people. Just minutes before a private jet crashed in Florida, a young copilot messaged her boyfriend about the conditions around her. Now her family is sharing those words as investigators examine the aircraft’s final moments, and a mother mourns the daughter whose dream ended in trag… Continues…
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was serving as copilot aboard a Learjet 60 traveling from Austin to the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County on Sunday. Her stepfather told the New York Post that she texted her boyfriend, Justin, roughly 10 minutes beforehand: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.” Licensed at 17, she had accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours, according to her family. Her mother remembered a daughter who was proudly pursuing her passion for aviation.
Air traffic control recordings reportedly captured the crew discussing icing and turbulence before issuing a mayday call during a rapid descent. All nine aboard died, including pilot Jeff Gregory, entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, and their two children. No deaths were reported on the ground. The FAA and NTSB are investigating, and icing has not been established as the cause. For Nathalia’s loved ones, the unanswered questions accompany an immeasurable loss.
