Nathalia Filgueiras, a 20-year-old pilot who died when a jet plunged to the ground in a fiery crash in Florida over the weekend, is being remembered as a gifted aviator who excelled in her flight examinations.
Filgueiras died Sunday after the Learjet she was co-piloting with 55-year-old Jeff Gregory lost control and fell tens of thousands of feet near West Palm Beach.
The aircraft erupted into a massive fireball, killing all nine people aboard. The impact carved a large crater into the roadway and scattered debris across roughly half a mile. Federal authorities are investigating the crash.
As Filgueiras’ family and friends mourn her sudden death, former flight instructor and mentor Chris Kirk described her as an exceptional student.
“Without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught, and I have been teaching for 40 years,” Kirk wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
“That young lady was born to fly! There was not a check ride that the examiner was not blown away.”
Kirk recalled that Filgueiras had fewer than 1,100 flight hours when she completed her Learjet rating. She “absolutely aced” the Pilot-in-Command type rating, he said, adding that the examiner believed she had approximately 5,000 hours of experience.
A Pilot-in-Command type rating is an endorsement added to a pilot’s license that authorizes the holder to serve as captain or the sole pilot of a particular aircraft type.
Kirk said Filgueiras stood apart from many of the other students he had trained.
Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, died Sunday after the Learjet she was co-piloting with Jeff Gregory, 55, lost control and plunged tens of thousands of feet near West Palm Beach, Florida (Source: Nathalia Filgueiras/Threads)
Chris Kirk, Filgueiras’ former flight instructor, remembered her as a gifted aviator who excelled in her flight exams. Source: Chris Kirk/Facebook
“I am saddened because so many of the pilots in training today never wanted to become pilots and only wanted to become airline pilots!” he wrote.
“As I did check rides, I saw this time and time again! They had no passion for flying. They only wanted to get to the airlines to make the big money.”
By contrast, Kirk said, “Nathalia was PASSIONATE about flying!!! She was a 100 percent natural born pilot!!!”
“I pray that she continues to fly amongst the clouds in heaven,” the grieving instructor added. “May she rest in peace and God watch over her.”
Filgueiras was co-piloting the Learjet 60 from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when cockpit audio captured her telling air traffic control that the aircraft was descending.
She initially reported experiencing “moderate turbulence.”
Her voice soon became increasingly distressed as it became clear that the aircraft was in serious trouble.
“Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000ft per minute,” she said.
The crash killed all nine people aboard and is being investigated by federal authorities
The impact left a large crater in a Florida roadway, with debris scattered across half a mile
Seconds later, she declared an emergency, saying: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.”
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Her distress intensified as she reported: “Descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.”
“I’m here with you, talk to me,” the air traffic controller replied.
Filgueiras responded: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.”
“We’re out of time,” she screamed in the final transmission.
The Daily Mail has decided not to publish the final seconds of the recording because of its extremely distressing nature.
In the minutes before the crash, Filgueiras had also been messaging her pilot boyfriend about the severe weather conditions.
Her family told the New York Post that she texted her boyfriend Justin shortly before the crash: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.”
Harrowing footage later appeared to show the Learjet striking the road at a speed that some experts said may have been close to supersonic.
Tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, and his wife, Helen Sharp, 40, were aboard the jet with their toddlers, Emma and Charlie, when it crashed (Source: Facebook)
They were traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina (left), and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr (right) (Source: Facebook)
The National Transportation Safety Board said it believes severe weather was a “significant factor” in the disaster. Investigators also said part of the jet appeared to have broken away shortly before it slammed into the Florida roadway.
All nine people aboard were pronounced dead, including Filgueiras and Gregory, as well as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45; his wife, Helen Sharp, 40; and their toddlers, Emma and Charlie.
The family of four had been traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, to celebrate Robinson’s birthday.
In a joint statement, the victims’ families remembered Robinson and Sharp as “devoted parents” whose children “were the light of their lives.”
“Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever,” the statement said.
“Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return.”
The statement added: “Charmi and Rachael were full of joy and adventure. They loved their people fiercely, fully and without hesitation. From the moment they met, they were all in on each other and the life they were building. They are deeply loved, and we will miss them endlessly.
“Anita Maria cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family. She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.”
Robinson was an entrepreneur who founded the technology company Retention and frequently spoke publicly about building a successful start-up.
Sharp ran the communications firm Influential PR and owned Helen Sharp Ceramics, an Aspen-based pottery studio.
“On behalf of friends and family, it is with a heavy heart that we share that our dearest Helen was taken from us too soon,” her family said in a separate statement.
“To know Helen was to love her. The number of people grieving Helen and Adam is a testament to how many people were lucky enough to have them in their lives.”
