Co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras died in the plane crash in Florida on Sunday alongside eight others when the private plane crashed. The investigation is still ongoing, but now, just days after the fatal accident, Filgueiras’s family says they are planning to take legal action.
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was just 20 years old when she died in the tragic Learjet crash in Florida alongside the pilot and seven passengers. But despite her young age, she had already achieved something many people only dream of.
She had earned her pilot’s license while still in high school – even before getting her driver’s license. Her sister, Guilia Filgueiras, spoke to The Palm Beach Post about the young pilot, remembering her as “an amazing girl.”
“She always followed her dream, she showed any girl could do what it takes,” her sister said. “She was really brave and fought until the last moment she could.”
Nathalia, who would have turned 21 in January, had worked as a commercial pilot for around nine months. She had already completed approximately 1,300 hours of flight time.
Her passion for aviation began at the Aviation and Aerospace Academy at West Boca Raton High School. She later completed her flight training at American Flyers in Pompano Beach.
Nathalia went on to become a flight instructor, with one big ambition: to become an airline pilot one day. In a previous interview with local TV station CBS12, she proudly spoke about learning to fly before she could even drive a car.
“I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,’” she told the station.
Reason behind deadly Florida plane crash still under investigation
In the moments before the crash, the crew reportedly experienced ice accumulation and moderate turbulence.
Audio between the aircraft and air traffic control shows how quickly the situation worsened. The pilot reported that the plane was losing altitude at an alarming rate before declaring an emergency.
The Learjet crashed near Greenacres, Florida, killing all nine people on board. Federal investigators are now working to establish exactly what happened in the final moments of the flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said there are indications that the aircraft may have started breaking apart before hitting the ground.
Meanwhile, Aviation attorney Willard Shepard told Local 10 News that recovering the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder could prove extremely difficult because of the force of the impact.
“With that kind of impact, even if they were on board this aircraft, they may not have been able to survive or locate them because of the violence of this collision,” Shepard said.
Co-pilot Nathalia’s family says they plan on taking legal actions
The expert also mentioned another potentially important detail about the plane’s left elevator. Its purpose is to help control whether an aircraft moves up or down.
According to Shepard, the left elevator apparently fell off, raising further questions about whether the pilots had any chance of regaining control.
Local 10 News also reported that the family of co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, plans to announce legal action. Her father lives in Miami.
Following the tragic crash, Nathalia’s mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, spoke out, remembering her daughter as a responsible and hardworking young woman.
In an interview with the NY Post, Nathalia’s mother also said she wanted her to have the chance to “live her dream.”
Mother says daughter was “living her dream”
Camila also explained how much flying meant to her daughter. However, she admitted she had always feared Nathalia’s dream could one day take her away.
“I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me,” Camila told the NY Post. “I knew that a plane was gonna take her away from me, I always knew it, but I was so proud of her, I know she was living her dream.”
The mother added, “I know if she could pick a way to go, this would be her way to go, but I didn’t want it to be so soon.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this immense tragedy.
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