“I WANTED TO BE BY HER SIDE” — HEARTBROKEN FATHER OF 20-YEAR-OLD PILOT NATHALIA FILGUEIRAS BREAKS DOWN RECALLING HER FINAL MOMENTS

The father of 20-year-old pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras has delivered an emotional tribute to his daughter, revealing the heartbreaking words he wishes he could have told her during the final moments of her life.

Allan Filgueiras struggled to hold back tears as he spoke publicly for the first time about losing his daughter in the devastating Learjet 60 𝔠r𝘢sh in Florida that claimed nine lives.

At a press conference on Friday, November 6, the grieving father shared a sentence that captured the unimaginable pain of a parent who wanted nothing more than to protect his child.

“I wanted to be by her side. Inside the plane, to help. I had to be next to her.”

His words left a deeply emotional moment as he remembered the daughter he had helped introduce to the world of aviation.

A FATHER WHO SHARED HIS DAUGHTER’S LOVE OF FLYING

For Allan, aviation was more than a profession. It was something he had passed on to Nathalia from an early age.

He first took her flying when she was around 12 years old. That experience sparked a passion that would eventually become the centre of her life.

As she grew older, Allan helped teach her to fly, watching proudly as she developed the skills and confidence needed to pursue a professional aviation career.

Nathalia eventually earned her pilot’s licence in 2023, when she was just 17 and still attending West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida.

She went on to accumulate more than 1,300 flight hours and completed the training required to serve as a co-pilot on a Learjet 60.

Her father described her as exceptionally gifted.

But perhaps the memory that touched him most was something she once told him after beginning her professional career.

She said she could hardly believe that she was finally being paid to do something she loved so much.

For Nathalia, flying was her happiest moment.

HE LISTENED TO HER FINAL RADIO CALLS AGAIN AND AGAIN

Since the 𝔠r𝘢sh, Allan has repeatedly listened to the final radio communications between his daughter and air traffic control.

He admitted that he was searching for a clue that might help him understand how everything went wrong.

“I did listen to that many times trying to find a clue. In my head. How’d that happen? And wow, she’s tough,” he said.

The recordings captured the terrifying deterioration of the flight.

Nathalia initially reported ice accumulation as the aircraft encountered a thunderstorm and turbulence.

The situation quickly became ᑕriᩚtiᩚcal.

She informed air traffic control that the aircraft was experiencing an overspeed condition and descending at approximately 20,000 feet per minute.

Despite the rapidly worsening emergency, she continued communicating important information to controllers on the ground.

Her father said listening to those final transmissions made him incredibly proud.

He described her as a hero who continued fighting until the very end.

“SHE WAS GIFTED AND MY SOULMATE”

During the press conference, Allan struggled to contain his grief as he spoke about the relationship he shared with Nathalia.

He described her as his soulmate and an extraordinary young woman.

His family’s legal representative, attorney Stuart Grossman, said the purpose of the conference was to preserve Nathalia’s memory and reputation.

The family also wanted to address criticism circulating online about whether someone so young had sufficient experience to serve aboard a high-performance business jet.

Grossman emphasised that Nathalia had completed the necessary training and was qualified for her position.

Her former instructor and aviation mentor also praised her professionalism, dedication and ability.

The family said they wanted people to remember her achievements rather than reduce her story to questions about her age.

THE FLIGHT THAT ENDED IN tᩚraɢedy

Nathalia was serving as co-pilot aboard a Learjet 60 travelling from Texas to the Bahamas on November 1, 2026.

The aircraft encountered severe weather conditions while flying over Florida.

As the emergency unfolded, the crew reported icing, turbulence and an increasingly rapid descent.

The aircraft eventually crashed in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, 𝘬iᩚlling all nine people aboard.

Among the victims were the pilot, Jeff Gregory, technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children, their nanny Ana María Ramírez Cetina, and family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

Multiple families were left devastated by the disaster.

A FATHER’S GRIEF AND THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS

The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 𝔠r𝘢sh.

Investigators are examining recovered aircraft components, flight information and the available evidence to establish what caused the Learjet to descend so rapidly.

The definitive cause has not yet been determined.

Allan said he wanted answers, but his greatest pain was the knowledge that he could not have been beside his daughter when she needed help.

He also spoke about the enormous difficulty of continuing life after such a devastating loss.

For him, Nathalia was not simply a young pilot whose career ended too soon.

She was the little girl he first took flying at 12, the daughter he helped teach, and the young woman who eventually turned their shared passion into her profession.

She had achieved so much at just 20 years old.

And while her family continues to search for answers, her father’s words reveal what he wants the world to remember most.

She loved flying. She worked hard for her dream. And she made her father incredibly proud.

“I WANTED TO BE BY HER SIDE.”

A father’s words that express a love no tᩚraɢedy can take away.

May Nathalia and all eight other victims rest in peace.