“I’VE GOT TURBULENCE, I’VE GOT ICE”: FINAL TEXTS FROM 20-YEAR-OLD PILOT BEFORE FLORIDA JET 𝔠r𝘢sh KILLED NINE

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras sent a chilling message to her boyfriend just 10 minutes before the Learjet 60 plunged to the ground in Florida. Her final radio transmissions revealed a desperate struggle as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, 𝘬iᩚlling everyone aboard.

A promising 20-year-old pilot was among nine people killed when a private Learjet crashed in Florida, bringing a devastating end to the aviation dreams of a young woman who had been flying since she was a teenager.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was serving as co-pilot aboard a Learjet 60 traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions and suddenly began losing control.

Just minutes before the disaster, she sent a message to her boyfriend, who was also a pilot, describing the dangerous conditions surrounding the aircraft.

“I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice,” she reportedly wrote.

The message was sent at approximately 12:40 p.m. on November 1, just 10 minutes before the aircraft crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, revealed the final exchange in an interview with the New York Post.

What followed was a terrifying sequence of radio communications in which Nathalia attempted to report the aircraft’s deteriorating condition while desperately trying to respond to an increasingly uncontrollable situation.

HER FINAL TEXT CAME JUST 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE 𝔠r𝘢sh

Nathalia was flying alongside the aircraft’s captain, 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory, when the Learjet encountered dangerous weather at approximately 35,000 feet.

According to her family’s account, Nathalia remained in contact with her boyfriend shortly before the 𝔠r𝘢sh.

Her message about turbulence and ice was one of the final communications she had with someone close to her.

The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at approximately 10:37 a.m., carrying two crew members and seven passengers.

It was headed for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

As the plane approached Florida, the crew reported icing conditions and moderate turbulence to air traffic controllers.

Initially, the situation appeared manageable.

Nathalia calmly reported that the aircraft was experiencing light clear icing and moderate turbulence.

However, conditions rapidly deteriorated, turning what had appeared to be a manageable flight into a life-threatening emergency.

TERRIFYING FINAL RADIO TRANSMISSIONS REVEAL THE CREW’S DESPERATE STRUGGLE

Recordings of the final communications between the cockpit and air traffic control have revealed the frightening moments before the 𝔠r𝘢sh.

Nathalia initially informed controllers that the aircraft was experiencing turbulence severe enough to cause significant changes in altitude.

The crew then requested permission to climb from approximately 35,000 feet to 37,000 feet in an attempt to improve the situation.

But within moments, the aircraft began descending rapidly.

Nathalia declared an emergency and repeatedly communicated the aircraft’s deteriorating condition.

“We’re descending 8,000 — Mayday, Mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” she reported.

The situation became even more alarming as the aircraft continued accelerating downward.

“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute!” she transmitted.

One of the final recorded statements was:

“We’re going to 𝔠r𝘢sh into the ground.”

Audio from the final moments also reportedly captured the captain reciting the Lord’s Prayer as the aircraft plunged toward the ground.

The recordings have provided investigators with an important account of what happened inside the cockpit during the final moments.

THE LEARJET ERUPTED INTO A FIREBALL IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA

At approximately 12:50 p.m. on November 1, the Learjet crashed in Greenacres, within Palm Beach County, Florida.

The aircraft struck the ground near a residential area and burst into flames, leaving a large crater and scattering debris across the surrounding neighborhood.

Witnesses described a massive explosion that shook nearby homes.

Residents reported seeing smoke and flames as emergency crews rushed to the scene.

Some nearby homes were struck by debris, and residents were evacuated while authorities secured the area.

All nine people aboard the aircraft were killed.

A driver near the 𝔠r𝘢sh site also suffered injuries.

The destruction was so extensive that investigators found aircraft debris scattered across a wide area, raising questions about whether the jet had begun breaking apart before reaching the ground.

WHO WAS NATHALIA GADELHA FILGUEIRAS?

Nathalia was just 20 years old, but aviation had already become the defining passion of her life.

Originally from a Brazilian family living in Florida, she developed an interest in flying at a young age.

She earned her private pilot’s license at just 17 years old, in October 2023, before obtaining her driver’s license.

In a previous television interview, she joked about the unusual situation.

“Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car,” she said.

“I think it’s funny.”

Despite her young age, Nathalia had accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours and completed extensive training to fly the Learjet 60.

Her family said she was hardworking, responsible and deeply committed to aviation.

Her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, described her daughter as someone who had devoted herself to her dream of becoming a pilot.

The tᩚraɢedy has left her family devastated, particularly as they reflect on how much of her future had been ahead of her.

HER FATHER BREAKS DOWN WHILE DEFENDING HIS DAUGHTER

Following the 𝔠r𝘢sh, Nathalia’s father, Allan Filgueiras, spoke publicly about his daughter in an emotional news conference.

He revealed that he had listened repeatedly to her final radio transmissions, trying to understand what happened during the flight.

Rather than hearing someone give up, he heard his daughter continuing to communicate and fight through the emergency.

“I wanted to be by her side. Inside the plane, to help,” he said through tears.

He also expressed pride in the way she handled the crisis.

“She showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said.

Her family also pushed back against criticism questioning whether Nathalia had sufficient experience to serve as co-pilot aboard a high-performance business jet.

They emphasized that she had more than 1,300 hours of flight experience and had completed the necessary training and qualifications for her role.

Her father wanted the public to remember her not simply as a young woman who died in an aircraft accident, but as a dedicated pilot who had worked hard to achieve her dream.

SEVEN PASSENGERS ALSO LOST THEIR LIVES

The tᩚraɢedy claimed the lives of seven passengers in addition to Nathalia and the captain.

Among those identified were Austin couple Adam Robinson, 45, and Helen Sharp, 40, who were traveling with their two young children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2.

Their nanny, Rachael Reed, and family friends Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina were also among those killed.

The deaths devastated multiple families and communities connected to the passengers and crew.

The victims’ families released tributes remembering their loved ones and the lives they had shared together.

INVESTIGATORS RECOVER COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation into the 𝔠r𝘢sh, focusing on the aircraft’s final flight path, weather conditions, maintenance history and possible structural failure.

Investigators discovered evidence suggesting that parts of the aircraft may have separated in midair before impact.

Pieces of the aircraft’s tail, including components of the elevator, were reportedly recovered more than a mile from the main 𝔠r𝘢sh site.

Severe turbulence, icing conditions and thunderstorms are among the factors being examined.

On November 10, the NTSB recovered the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder.

The recorder was being evaluated at a laboratory in Washington to determine whether it remained functional and whether investigators could retrieve its recordings.

If usable, the recording could provide important information about what the pilots experienced and discussed during the final moments.

Investigators are also reviewing maintenance records and interviewing people connected to the aircraft’s operation.

The NTSB has indicated that a full investigation could take 12 to 18 months or longer, depending on the complexity of the case.

No final determination of the cause has been announced.

A DREAM THAT ENDED TOO SOON

For Nathalia’s family, the tᩚraɢedy is more than the loss of a young pilot. It is the loss of a daughter whose future was filled with ambition, determination and dreams.

She had earned her wings at 17, built hundreds of hours of flight experience and pursued the career she loved.

Her final message about turbulence and ice has now become one of the most heartbreaking details of the disaster.

Her father says he is proud of the way she continued communicating during the emergency, even as the aircraft plunged toward the ground.

Nine people lost their lives that afternoon. Nine families were left facing an unimaginable loss.

And for a 20-year-old woman who had dreamed of spending her life in the skies, the journey ended far too soon.

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras will be remembered by her family as a daughter, a dreamer and a young pilot who loved flying. May all nine victims rest in peace.