Who was Nathalia Gadelha: the 20-year-old co-pilot in Greenacres

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was a 20-year-old professional pilot, born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida, and the daughter of Brazilian parents, who lost her life on Sunday, November 1, 2026, while serving as co-pilot of the Learjet 60 executive jet that crashed in Greenacres. Her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, and her stepfather confirmed her identity, making her the first victim publicly identified among the nine occupants who perished in the accident.

Local training in Palm Beach County and license at age 17

• Beginnings with her father: Her interest in aviation began in 2020 during high school, motivated by her father, Thiago Corteleti, who had started flying as a hobby in 2018 and guided her in her first flight practices.
• School Aviation Academy: She completed her studies at West Boca Raton High School in southern Palm Beach County. Her training and license were funded through the School District of Palm Beach County's Aviation Academy, an educational program inaugurated in 2023.
• Pilot before driving cars: In October 2023, at age 17 and while in her senior year of high school, she obtained her private pilot's license before having a driver's license. At that time, she was interviewed by local station CBS12 News after accumulating 88 flight hours with daily training. She proudly commented that when people told her she didn't know how to drive a car, she would reply: "Yes, but I know how to fly."

Nathalia Gadelha: Professional career and experience in the Learjet 60

• More than 1,300 flight hours: According to her mother's statements, at 20 years old, Nathalia had already accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours and was working professionally as a co-pilot.
• Vocation for the skies: Her mother recalled the young woman's enthusiasm for her career, noting that "she loved the freedom" and that "it was completely different to see the world from above."
• Experience in the aircraft: On her social media, she had shared records of her professional progress operating Learjet 60 aircraft in November 2025 and March 2026.

The accident in Greenacres and her final seconds in the cockpit

• Flight route: On Sunday, November 1, 2026, the Learjet 60 with registration N722BD—registered to the company LR60271 LLC—took off at 9:36 a.m. (local time) from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.
• Nosedive: Around 12:50 p.m., after about two hours of travel and while flying at an altitude of about 35,000 feet, the twin-engine plane descended abruptly at a speed exceeding 20,000 feet per minute and crashed near Military Trail, in a residential area of Greenacres, Palm Beach County, bursting into flames without causing casualties on the ground.
• Emergency call to the tower: Nathalia's voice was captured on air traffic control recordings seconds before the impact. In the transmission, she alerted with concern that they were in an overspeed condition, descending at 20,000 feet per minute, and issued a distress call ("Mayday, mayday"), warning that they were descending at 10,000 feet per minute and were going to hit the ground.
• Final recorded words: While the air traffic controller tried to maintain contact by saying, "I am here with you, talk to me," the cockpit audio captured the pilot asking someone named Jack to look outside before saying, "our time is up," at which point communication was cut off.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continue to investigate the causes that led to the loss of control of the aircraft at the crash site, while authorities keep the official identities of the other eight victims confidential.