Family confirms 20-year-old co-pilot among nine dead in Palm Beach jet crash

Nathalia G. Filgueiras, 20, was the co-pilot of the Learjet 60 that crashed in Greenacres on Sunday. Her father, Allan Filgueiras, confirmed her identity to NBC6. She was among the nine people killed when the aircraft hit the ground in a fireball at approximately 12:50 p.m. ET. The crash site, located about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach, was left with a fiery crater and heavy smoke.

The aircraft originated from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to the Bahamas. Air traffic control recordings indicate the jet was flying at 35,000 feet when the crew reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation. The pilot requested a 2,000-foot climb to mitigate the weather conditions. Minutes later, the plane entered a steep descent, initially losing 10,000 feet per minute before accelerating to a drop of 30,000 feet per minute.

The pilot declared an emergency and transmitted distress signals as the aircraft exceeded its design speed limits. Radio transmissions captured by LiveATC.net show the crew reporting manageable ice and moderate turbulence before the situation deteriorated. The pilot stated, “We’re descending 8,000, mayday, mayday - we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.” As the descent continued, the pilot added, “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute.” The final transmission acknowledged the imminent impact: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”

Giulia Filgueiras, the co-pilot’s sister, described her sister as a passionate aviator who learned to fly from their father. The family is from Brazil. Video footage taken by motorists near the roadway showed the plane plunging from the sky and exploding near the road. Bystanders expressed shock that the wreckage landed feet from nearby homes and inches from passing vehicles.

Rain was falling across the region during the crash. The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for excessive rainfall through Monday afternoon. Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the event to reporters. He called it a “cataclysmic plane crash” and noted that the aircraft “looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the incident. Authorities have not yet determined the specific cause of the crash. The investigation will examine the flight data and weather conditions that contributed to the loss of control.

The crash occurred on a Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service’s flood watch remains in effect until Monday afternoon. Investigators continue to gather evidence at the Greenacres site to understand the sequence of events that led to the fatal descent.