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Dad of 20-year-old Learjet co-pilot's last wish before 'soulmate' daughter died
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The father of the 20-year-old co-pilot killed in the Learjet 60 crash in Florida on November 1 has revealed his last wish before her death.
As previously reported, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was killed along with pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, and passengers Adam Robinson, 44, who was a multimillionaire tech exec, his wife Helen Sharp, their two young children - Emma, four, and Charlie, two - and their nanny, Anita Maria Apellido, as well as their friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
The private jet had got into difficulty at 35,000 feet, and crashed to the ground near a mobile home community in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine on board.
Gut-wrenching audio recordings between the plane and ATC were released in the wake of the disaster, in which Nathalia was heard reporting that they were experiencing icing and turbulence, asking to climb to around 37,000 feet to get above the bad weather shortly before the plane nosedived at a rate of over 20,000 feet per minute.
While she initially reported that that were experiencing turbulence and "managing" ice building up on the aircraft, seconds later they issued a Mayday call as the plane began to lose altitude rapidly.
Nathalia's scream could be heard on the audio recording while Captain Gregory was heard reciting the Lord's Prayer as they tried to control the plane before it crashed.
The young pilot had also sent a text to her boyfriend, Justin, just 10 minutes before her death, saying: "I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice."
Her father, Allan Filgueiras, shared his tearful last wish at a press conference following Nathalia's death, revealing he wished he'd been beside her to help.
Allan admitted: "I wanted to be by her side inside the plane to help, to be by her. I had to be next to her."
He added: "She made me so proud. She showed me what it is to be a hero because once you see that coming, a lot of the big boys, military or whatever, they can't handle.
"And she was the one over there to the last minute, fighting.
"I did listen to that many times, trying to find a clue in my head, how that happened. And wow, she's tough."
Nathalia had made local headlines after she received her pilot's license at 17 years old, before she even had her driver's license.
She also revealed how she had developed her love of flying from her father, who'd learned to be a pilot recreationally.
Calling her his "soulmate", Allan revealed how much of a hole Nathalia's death had left in his life.
"She’s my soulmate. Having her to talk about aviation. Now, I feel like my life is missing," he told CNN.
Nathalia had dreamt of being a pilot since she began flying in planes piloted by her father when she was just 12 years old.
Allan revealed she told him when she was just starting out: "Dad, there’s nothing else that I want to do in my life other than flying."
He added: "I told her that there’s nothing in this planet that you want that bad that you can’t achieve. So you are going to be the pilot you wish to be."
Nathalia graduated from American Flyers, one of the most prestigious aviation schools in the United States, her family told CNN Brasil, and by the time of the crash, she had licenses to be a commercial pilot and flight instructor.
She was certified to serve as a first officer in the Learjet 60, according to Federal Aviation Administration records, and was rated to fly larger and more complicated aircraft.
Allan revealed that the last time he saw his daughter was four days before the crash, when the spent the afternoon together and had lunch, adding: "I spent the day with her, and I was saying (to her), ‘This is the best day of my life to spend this afternoon with you.'"
Eerily, the usually happy man said he felt an unexplained sense of sadness when they parted that day, explaining: "I don’t know why. For a second, because I wouldn’t let (it) last more than that, I felt so sad, and it’s a feeling that I never had before in my life.
"I can’t believe that was the last day that I spent with her."
Allan also spoke of Nathalia's passion for aviation, revealing: "You know, she said, 'dad, can you believe, can you believe that I would pay for this but they actually paying me, you know, I would pay for this but I’m actually getting paid,' so it was her happiest moment to fly."
Nathalia was praised for the way she communicated the plane's final moments to ATC, despite the dire circumstances and the knowledge that the plane was going to crash within seconds.
Allan also made a vow to continue to honor Nathalia's memory by flying, adding: "I will continue her legacy.
"Each time that I’m gonna be flying, I’m gonna be connecting with her. I want to make her proud."
An investigation is currently underway into the circumstances of the crash.