Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was just 20 years old when she died in the devastating Learjet crash in South Florida, but she had already achieved something many aspiring aviators spend years working towards. She earned her private pilot’s licence at just 17, while still attending high school, and had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months before the fatal flight.
Her mother, Camila, and stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, confirmed to the New York Post that Nathalia was the co-pilot aboard the Learjet 60 travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when disaster struck on Sunday afternoon, November 1, 2026.
The aircraft reportedly entered a steep nosedive, descending at more than 20,000 feet per minute before crashing in Palm Beach County, Florida, and erupting into flames.
For her family, the tragedy has been made even more painful by the knowledge that Nathalia was pursuing the career she had dreamed of since childhood. She would have turned 21 in January.
“I wanted her to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me,” Camila told the newspaper from her home in Palm Beach County.
“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.”
A Message About Ice and Turbulence Just Minutes Before the Crash
Nathalia’s stepfather said she had accumulated approximately 1,300 hours of flying experience during her young career.
Her boyfriend, Justin, also recalled receiving a text message from her just 10 minutes before the aircraft crashed. According to Corteleti, she had described the difficult conditions confronting the flight.
“She just said, ‘I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice,'” he told the Post.
The message has added another heartbreaking detail to the final moments of the young pilot’s life.
Nathalia was among nine people killed when the $2 million Learjet 60 went down in a residential area. The aircraft’s rapid descent and fiery impact were captured in footage from the area, while investigators began examining the wreckage and surrounding debris.
She Earned Her Pilot’s Licence Before Her Driving Licence
A Learjet 60 carrying nine people crashes in a South Florida neighborhood on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.Aki Kuusisto via Storyful
Nathalia grew up in Palm Beach County and developed an interest in aviation at an early age. Her passion was encouraged by her father, who learned to fly recreationally in 2018 and regularly took her aboard his small Beechcraft Bonanza.
Her ambition became clear after one particular flight.
Camila recalled that her daughter returned home and announced that she intended to become a pilot. At first, her mother did not believe she would follow through.
“One day after flying with him, she came home, and we were in our room, and she walked in, and she said, ‘I’m gonna be a pilot’ and I said, ‘No, you won’t,'” Camila recalled through tears.
Her husband, however, immediately supported the teenager’s ambition.
“Thiago looked at me, and said, ‘If that’s what she wants to be, she will be a pilot,’ and I was like, ‘No she won’t,'” she said.
As a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton High School, she earned her private pilot’s license.CBS12
Nathalia began taking flying lessons in 2020 while studying at West Boca Raton High School. In October 2023, as a 17-year-old senior, she earned her private pilot’s licence through the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy.
The programme helped pay for her licence after being introduced that year.
Her achievement attracted local media attention because she had learned to fly before obtaining her regular driving licence.
“I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,'” she told CBS12 in an interview at the time.
She also spoke about enjoying the unusual position of being a teenager with such an advanced skill.
“I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it’s cool that like it’s not really an opportunity,” she said.
She acknowledged that some people found it amusing that she could operate an aircraft but had not yet obtained her driving licence.
“I just didn’t do it, and this is how it ended up. But I think it’s cool. Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it’s funny. I think it’s funny, and I now want my [driver’s] license really bad,” she added.
Gadelha had said her dream was to become a commercial airline pilot.@itsnatfilg/Threads
A Young Aviator Determined to Reach the Airlines
Nathalia’s ambitions extended well beyond earning her first licence. She dreamed of becoming a commercial airline pilot and hoped one day to work for American Airlines.
According to her family, she was still too young to apply for a position there.
She graduated from American Flyers, a flight school based in Addison, Texas, which also has a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras was killed after a Learjet crashed in Florida on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.@itsnatfilg/Threads
After completing her training, she began working as a flight instructor at another school in Fort Lauderdale before moving on to another pilot position.
Her mother said employers were impressed by her ability and dedication.
“Everybody was so impressed with her. They hired her because they knew how good she was and how much she loved it,” Camila said.
Nathalia had also shared her progress on social media, including a recent video showing her and her boyfriend flying together.
In another post, she highlighted the unusual achievement of having two pilots under the age of 21 with commercial, multi-engine, instrument and instructor qualifications.
“How often do you see 2 pilots under 21 with a commercial, multi-engine, instrument, CFI/CFI-I [Certified Flight Instructor/Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument],” she wrote.
Her posts reflected the excitement she felt about a career that had begun with a childhood dream and developed into a professional pursuit.
‘This Would Be Her Way to Go’ Says Grieving Mother
For Camila, knowing how much her daughter loved flying offers little comfort against the pain of losing her so young.
She said she believed Nathalia would have chosen to spend her life doing exactly what she loved, but that did not make the loss any easier to accept.
“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,” she said.
The young pilot’s death came just as she was building the career she had worked towards since childhood. Her family remembered a determined young woman who had pursued an unusual ambition with remarkable commitment.
At the time of the New York Post report, authorities had not yet publicly identified the other eight people who died aboard the Learjet. Officials were expected to provide further information at a press conference later on Monday.
As investigators work to establish what caused the aircraft to crash, Nathalia’s family is left mourning a daughter whose dream of flying had taken her further than many people her age could imagine.