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Dad of 20-year-old co-pilot killed in Learjet crash that left nine dead reveals one haunting detail he cannot understand
The grieving father of the 20-year-old co-pilot aboard the Learjet 60 that crashed in Florida has questioned how the aircraft’s crew failed to avoid lethal weather conditions.
Allan Filgueiras, the father of Nathalie Filgueiras, an experienced pilot himself, has opened up about the final moments of the flight that claimed the life of his daughter and eight other people.
The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed near Greenacres, Florida, on November 1, and Mr. Filgueiras has discussed the heartbreaking crash for the first time.
Father of Learjet co-pilot speaks publicly
While speaking to ABC News' Good Morning America, Filgueiras questioned the decisions made by the pilots as they encountered increasingly difficult weather conditions.
"Why did they go where they went?" he asked reporter Rhiannon Ally.
Despite describing his daughter as a careful and responsible pilot who would never have deliberately put herself in unnecessary danger, he suggested the crew had several options available to them, including taking an alternative route that could have added another 20 or 30 minutes to the journey.
"So why they didn't go around?" he asked.
"What made them go through the routes that they went?"
His questions come as investigators continue examining what caused the aircraft to lose control before crashing into a roadway, where pieces of aircraft debris scattered as far as 4 miles from the crash site.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Learjet was traveling at approximately 35,000 feet when its crew reported ice accumulating on the aircraft alongside moderate turbulence.
Nathalia, who was handling communications with air traffic control, also reported that the aircraft was experiencing altitude fluctuations of around 700 feet, forcing the crew to subsequently request permission to climb to 37,000 feet after encountering precipitation.
Although air traffic controllers approved the request, the situation deteriorated dramatically less than 30 seconds later, when the pilots reported that the aircraft was descending rapidly.
Nathalia issued a desperate Mayday call as the Learjet plunged towards the ground at an alarming rate.
"Mayday, mayday. We're descending 10,000 feet per minute," she was heard saying.
"We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute."
Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, was also in the cockpit as the pair desperately attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
The terrifying recordings captured the crew's final moments, with Nathalia reportedly shouting: "We're going to crash into the ground!"
Her final words included: "Look outside! Holy f**k. We're out of time."
The aircraft ultimately smashed into the ground, triggering a huge fireball and leaving a crater at the crash site.
Father defends daughter but questions crew's choice not to avoid weather conditions
Filgueiras, who began teaching his daughter to fly when she was just 12, revealed that he had repeatedly listened to recordings of her final radio transmissions, and that while hearing the audio has been incredibly painful, he was proud of how she responded to the unfolding emergency.
He also defended his daughter's qualifications, insisting that her young age should not lead people to question whether she belonged in the cockpit, having amassed 1,300 hours of flying experience, as well as completing the required training to operate the Learjet.
Filgueiras has since enlisted the help of lawyers Andrew Yaffa and Stuart Grossman, who want to examine the aircraft and investigate its maintenance history.
Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has also confirmed that it will cooperate with investigators, although it said it could not comment on what may have caused the incident while the investigation remains ongoing.