Her Dream Took Flight at 17: Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, Co-Pilot Killed in Greenacres Learjet Crash, Remembered by Her Family

GREENACRES, Fla. — Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was 17 when she earned her pilot's license, an age when many teenagers are just learning to drive. Three years later, the 20-year-old was serving as co-pilot aboard a private jet that crashed in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 1, killing all nine people aboard, according to her family.
Filgueiras, a Palm Beach County native, was identified by her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, and her stepfather. According to the blog, she earned her license in 2023 while finishing her senior year at West Boca Raton Community High School, where she took part in an aviation program. She learned to fly under the guidance of her father, also a pilot, and trained at American Flyers, a Texas flying school, the New York Post reported.
The Learjet 60 was flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it crashed around 12:50 p.m. Air traffic control recordings captured the crew reporting ice, turbulence and a rapid descent. The NTSB says weather is a major focus and that the jet likely broke apart before impact, but no cause has been determined.
Also killed were the captain, Jeff Gregory, 55, Texas entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and the children's nanny, Anita Maria Cetina.
For Filgueiras' family, the loss is of a daughter whose dream had turned into a career. At 20, she had her whole future ahead of her. May her family find comfort and strength, and may her memory be honored with love.