Ninth Victim Identified as 20-Year-Old Copilot

All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 died Sunday when the executive aircraft crashed in Palm Beach, Florida. Officials identified one of the victims on Monday as Nathalia G. Filgueiras, the 20-year-old copilot. Her father confirmed the identification to family members.

The plane crashed into a residential neighborhood near a busy roadway at 12:50 p.m. Witnesses on the ground filmed the jet falling from the sky and exploding into a fireball. The impact created a large crater beside the road. Thick black smoke covered the site as onlookers gathered near the broken asphalt.

Filgueiras’s sister said the family is of Brazilian origin. Nathalia learned to fly from her father, a pilot. She received her pilot certification at age 18. Her sister described aviation as her greatest passion.

Air traffic control recordings show the pilot reported clear and light ice as well as moderate turbulence shortly before the crash. The pilot stated the ice was manageable. Minutes later, the pilot declared an emergency after the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly. The pilot told controllers they were descending at 8,000 feet per minute, then 10,000 feet per minute, and finally 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot concluded by saying the plane was going to crash into the ground.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that the FAA would support the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. He described the event as a horrible tragedy. Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site and told reporters the accident looked like a missile descending. He noted the plane left a large crater next to the highway.

The jet was traveling to the Bahamas when it encountered rain and requested a climb. The aircraft tilted sharply to the right before striking the ground. No survivors were found. The NTSB is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash.