A Learjet that crashed in Palm Beach, Florida, killing all nine people aboard, may have begun breaking apart in midair after encountering a powerful thunderstorm, officials said.
The disaster unfolded Sunday, only a few miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Video showed the Learjet 60 plunging nose-first into an intersection before erupting in flames.
In air traffic control recordings, co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, could be heard screaming during the aircraft’s final moments. The pilot beside her appeared to recite the Lord’s Prayer as the jet descended toward the ground.
At a news conference Monday, National Transportation Safety Board officials said severe weather was believed to have been a “significant factor” in the crash.
The pilots had requested permission to climb 2,000 feet after encountering a thunderstorm, officials said, shortly before the aircraft began spiraling downward.
The identities of the other eight people killed aboard the jet had not been released. A man on the ground suffered a leg injury after being struck by debris near the crash site.
Filgueiras’s grieving family described her as a passionate aviator. They said she had texted her boyfriend, who was also a pilot, about the difficult conditions shortly before the crash.
Her stepfather, Thiago, told the New York Post that she messaged her boyfriend about 10 minutes before the crash, writing: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.”
A Learjet that crashed and killed nine people in Palm Beach, Florida, may have begun breaking apart in midair after encountering a severe thunderstorm, officials believe. Pictured: Co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20
Video captured the moment the jet plunged nose-first into the ground and erupted into a fireball
Filgueiras’s relatives confirmed to The New York Post that she was at the controls when the Learjet plunged toward the ground.
She grew up in Palm Beach County and developed a passion for flying. In 2023, at age 17, she was featured in a local media report after earning her pilot’s license.
Speaking to CBS12, she said she “bragged” about the achievement after friends teased her by saying, “Oh, you can’t drive,” to which she replied, “Yeah, but I can fly.”
Her mother, Camila, frequently shared photographs of Filgueiras and her siblings traveling on private jets. Her father, Allan, also held a pilot’s license.
“She loved the freedom. It was completely different seeing the world from the top,” Camila told The New York Times.
In the air traffic control recording released after Sunday’s crash near West Palm Beach, the unidentified pilot could be heard reciting, “who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
As he prayed, Filgueiras reported that the Learjet 60 had banked 60 degrees, indicating that the aircraft was flying almost on its side.
The plane crashed moments later in a fireball beside the road, killing all nine people aboard. Officials had not yet released the names of the remaining victims.
Investigators are examining severe weather and possible ice accumulation on the aircraft as potential factors. The $2 million business jet had been traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it went down.
Experts have speculated that the $2 million jet may have been brought down by a phenomenon known as coffin corner
Filgueiras grew up in Palm Beach County and was featured in a local media report after earning her pilot’s license at age 17 in 2023
Some aviation specialists have suggested the jet may have encountered “coffin corner” while attempting to climb over two storm systems, known as cells.
Coffin corner occurs at high altitude when an aircraft’s minimum safe speed and maximum safe speed converge, leaving pilots with an extremely narrow margin for safe flight.
If the aircraft slows down or accelerates beyond that limited range, it can stall and become uncontrollable.
Former pilot Martin Varsavsky, who now runs an artificial intelligence company, wrote on X that the area’s weather may have contributed to the fatal sequence of events.
“The radars clearly showed those cells; in light jets, the rule is to deviate with a good margin, not to fly through them – this could be an error by the woman who was piloting,” he wrote.
He added: “What storms do by changing the outside temperature is that airplanes can no longer stay aloft at the same speed. It’s called the coffin corner. Or they become very difficult to keep under control.”
The crash created a large crater in the middle of the road and damaged nearby infrastructure
The precise cause of the crash, which occurred eight miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club, remains under investigation. Federal Aviation Administration Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the FAA was sending a team to assist the NTSB investigation.
As the twin-engine business jet approached the area, air traffic controllers in Miami authorized the pilots to “deviate left and right” because of “moderate precipitation… to the southeast,” which they described as “pretty nasty.”
Controllers later warned of “moderate turbulence.” Filgueiras’s voice soon became frantic as she realized 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.
Seconds later, she shouted: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.”
Her voice grew increasingly distressed 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 in an effort to calm her.
Filgueiras then said: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.” She screamed her final transmission: “We’re out of time.”
The cause of the crash, which occurred eight miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club, remains unknown
Officials do not expect the road where the aircraft crashed to reopen for another month
The Daily Mail has decided not to publish the final seconds of the recording because they are extremely distressing.
False claims that rock star Lenny Kravitz was aboard the aircraft spread across social media. His representative later confirmed that he was not on the jet.
“The reports are untrue and incorrect,” his representative, Carleen Donovan, told Our News Outlet.
Weather in the West Palm Beach area on Sunday afternoon was poor, with overcast skies, rain, lightning and easterly winds of 15 mph, gusting to nearly 25 mph. The National Weather Service in Miami reported visibility of seven miles.
According to flight data, the aircraft departed Austin, Texas, for North Eleuthera in the Bahamas before its journey ended abruptly near West Palm Beach.
The crash scattered debris over a wide area and carved a massive crater into the road. Authorities said no one on the ground was killed or seriously injured.
