Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, who gained her pilot’s licence while still at school and dreamed of a career in aviation, has been identified by her family as the co-pilot killed in the Florida Learjet crash on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Three years earlier, Nathalia had appeared on local television in Palm Beach County to talk about an achievement that set her apart from many other teenagers. At 17, she could fly an aeroplane even though she had not yet obtained a driving licence.
The interview showed a young woman taking pride in learning to fly. By this weekend she was working as a professional co-pilot. Her death was one of nine aboard the private jet, which was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County.
Flying before she could drive
In September 2023, while a senior at West Boca Raton High School, Nathalia obtained her private pilot’s licence. CBS12 News reported that she began ground school in 2020 and had accumulated 88 hours in the air by the time its interview was broadcast on 24 October 2023.
Her father had taken up recreational flying in 2018 and helped her learn. The School District of Palm Beach County paid for her private pilot training through its Aviation Academy, where students also worked with flight simulators and drones.
Speaking to CBS12, Nathalia found humour in the unusual order of her milestones: “Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car.” She said she hoped to become an airline pilot or fly jets.
From aviation student to charter co-pilot
Nathalia grew up in Florida in a Brazilian family. Her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, confirmed to CNN Brasil that her daughter was working on the flight as co-pilot. Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, said she had trained with American Flyers and accumulated more than 1,300 flying hours. That hours figure is the family’s account and has not been independently verified by Fish 4 News.
It was a substantial progression from the high-school student who had been interviewed just three years earlier. Her family described her as responsible, hardworking and committed to flying.
A family remembers her love of flying
Her mother told reporters that Nathalia had been drawn to aircraft since childhood, enjoying watching planes at local airports. In an account reported by The Guardian, Camila described her daughter’s passion simply: “She loved the freedom.”
Those recollections and the original 2023 television interview offer a picture of Nathalia beyond the circumstances of her death: an ambitious young person whose interest in aviation developed from family outings into a job in the cockpit.
Watch: Nathalia speaking about flying in 2023
The following CBS12 News report revisits its October 2023 profile of Nathalia, before the accident. The original CBS12 article also remains available.
What is known about the accident
The Learjet 60, registration N722BD, was operating from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. It crashed near Greenacres, Florida, on 1 November, killing seven passengers and both crew members.
At its first briefing on 2 November, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the crew had reported icing, turbulence and precipitation before the aircraft descended rapidly. Investigators also reported indications that parts of the aircraft may have separated before impact. Those are preliminary observations, not a determination of cause.
The family has identified Nathalia as the co-pilot, not the captain. Investigators have not established which pilot was flying or speaking over the radio during the emergency. A voice heard in circulated recordings should not be attributed to her without evidence. Nor does her age, job title or number of flying hours establish that she caused or contributed to the crash.
The NTSB’s official investigation (ERA27MA026) remains open. Readers can follow our report on the first NTSB briefing and its appeal for witnesses, including guidance for anyone who has relevant footage or finds possible debris.
Sources
- CBS12 News: Nathalia’s October 2023 interview.
- Associated Press: family identification and aviation background, 2 November 2026.
- CNN Brasil: statements from Nathalia’s mother and stepfather, 2 November 2026.
- The Guardian: family recollections and NTSB briefing, 2 November 2026.
- NTSB: investigation ERA27MA026.
