Father of 20-Year-Old Pilot Killed in Florida Learjet 𝔠r𝘢sh Breaks Down as He Reveals Her Final Words

The grieving father of a 20-year-old co-pilot killed in a devastating Florida plane 𝔠r𝘢sh has spoken publicly for the first time, revealing how he repeatedly listens to his daughter’s final radio transmissions while struggling to understand what happened.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was among nine people killed when a Learjet 60 plunged into a residential area near Greenacres, Palm Beach County, on November 1.

Her father, Allan Filgueiras, is also a pilot and was the person who first introduced his daughter to flying when she was just 12 years old. Now, he says listening to her final communications with air traffic control has left him heartbroken but also immensely proud.

“I did listen to that many times, trying to find a clue in my head how that happened. And wow, she’s tough,” he said during an emotional news conference on November 6.

As he struggled to hold back tears, Allan described the pain of losing the daughter he had once taught to fly.

“For the family, it’s like having the heart torn from my chest,” he said.

Her final radio calls revealed a terrifying struggle

Nathalia’s final communications with air traffic control have become an important part of the ongoing investigation.

The Learjet was flying from Austin, Texas, toward the Bahamas when the crew encountered dangerous weather conditions, including ice accumulation and significant turbulence.

Nathalia initially reported that the aircraft was experiencing light icing and moderate turbulence, with the plane being tossed up and down by approximately 700 feet.

The situation then deteriorated rapidly.

In one of the final transmissions, she declared an emergency and reported that the aircraft was descending at an extraordinary rate.

“Declare an emergency 722-Bravo-Delta. We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute!” she said.

Her father said he was struck by the composure she demonstrated while communicating with air traffic control during the emergency.

“She showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said.

He also described the unbearable feeling of wishing he could have been beside her during those final moments.

“I wanted to be by her side. Inside the plane. To help,” he said.

Family pushes back against criticism of her experience

Following the 𝔠r𝘢sh, questions and criticism circulated online about whether Nathalia was too young or inexperienced to serve as co-pilot aboard a high-performance business jet.

Her family has strongly rejected those suggestions.

According to her father and attorney, Nathalia had accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours and completed the necessary training and certification to serve as a Learjet co-pilot.

Her attorney, Stuart Grossman, said the family held the news conference partly to protect her professional reputation.

“She was at the top of her class in everything that she did, and she was perfectly qualified to be the co-pilot on this flight, despite her tender years,” he said.

Retired airline pilot John Cox also defended her qualifications, explaining that he began his own professional flying career at a similar age.

Her former instructor and mentor, Chris Kirk, remembered her as a gifted and dedicated aviator who worked hard to achieve her goals.

Allan said he began teaching Nathalia to fly when she was 12. After she eventually secured a professional pilot position, she told him she could hardly believe she was being paid to do something she loved.

Flying, he said, was the happiest part of her life.

A father determined to preserve his daughter’s legacy

Nathalia grew up in a Brazilian family in Florida and graduated from West Boca Community High School. She earned her pilot’s license as a teenager and had dreamed of building a career in aviation.

Her family remembers her as hardworking, determined and deeply passionate about flying.

Now, Allan says he must find the strength to continue living for his wife and surviving children while keeping his daughter’s memory alive.

He said he believes Nathalia would not want to see him completely broken by grief.

The family also expressed sympathy for the relatives of the other eight people who died in the 𝔠r𝘢sh. Their attorney said there were no immediate plans to file a lawsuit and that they intended to wait for the findings of the federal investigation.

What caused the Learjet to 𝔠r𝘢sh?

The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the disaster.

All nine people aboard the aircraft died, including Nathalia, the 55-year-old captain Jeffrey Gregory, technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, their nanny and two other passengers.

Investigators have recovered several pieces of wreckage, including part of an engine and sections of the aircraft’s tail. However, the cause of the 𝔠r𝘢sh has not been determined.

For Allan Filgueiras, the investigation may eventually provide answers about the final flight of his daughter.

But the memory he wants people to carry is not simply of a young pilot who died in a plane 𝔠r𝘢sh.

It is of a girl who fell in love with flying, worked tirelessly to make that dream a reality and continued communicating with air traffic control as her aircraft plunged toward the ground.

Source: DAILYMAIL