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Tragic photo shows Florida Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, 'controlling plane' as last text to her boyfriend is revealed
A heartbreaking photograph of a 20-year-old co-pilot who died in a Florida plane crash has emerged as her family revealed the final message she sent to her boyfriend just minutes before the tragedy.
The Learjet 60 was traveling to the Bahamas after departing from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas when it crashed in a residential neighborhood near Cresthaven at 12:50PM on Sunday (November 1).
The horrific tragedy has claimed the lives of nine people, including co-pilot Nathalia, 20, who'd obtained her pilot's license at 17, before she could even drive a car.
Nathalia's final text to her boyfriend revealed
Speaking to The New York Post, the young pilot's family shared heartbreaking details about her final moments, including a text she sent to her boyfriend, Justin, shortly before the aircraft went down.
Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, 44, said she contacted him approximately 10 minutes before the crash to warn him about the conditions the plane was experiencing.
"She just said, 'I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice,'" Corteleti said.
The young pilot had reportedly been communicating with air traffic control as the aircraft encountered difficulties.
Her family also indicated that she was at the controls during the emergency, although investigators have not publicly confirmed who was flying the jet in its final moments.
Tragic photo shows young pilot 'controlling a plane'
A tragic photo has surfaced online, showing Filgueiras showing how she controls a plane during her 2023 interview with CBS12.
Her mother, Camila, revealed that her daughter, who would have turned 21 in January, had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months.
Despite her young age, she had already accumulated approximately 1,300 hours of flying experience, according to Corteleti.
"I wanted her to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me," Camila said. "I knew that a plane was gonna take her away from me. I always knew it but I was so proud of her. I know she was living her dream."
Filgueiras began taking flying lessons in 2020, inspired by her father, who had learned to fly recreationally in 2018.
Her passion developed after she accompanied him on flights in his small Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft.
Camila recalled the moment her daughter returned home from one of those flights and announced that she wanted to become a pilot.
"One day after flying with him, she came home, and we were in our room, and she walked in, and she said, 'I’m gonna be a pilot' and I said, 'No, you won’t,'" Camila said. "Thiago looked at me, and said, 'If that’s what she wants to be, she will be a pilot,' and I was like, 'No she won’t.'"
Filgueiras eventually attended the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy, which paid for her pilot’s license after introducing the program that year, in 2023.
She reflected on her accomplishment during her 2023 interview, and she admitted that she enjoyed standing out from other teenagers.
"I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it’s cool that like it’s not really an opportunity," she said. "I just didn’t do it, and this is how it ended up. But I think it’s cool.
"Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it’s funny. I think it’s funny, and I now want my [driver’s] license really bad," she added.
All nine victims of the Florida Learjet crash identified
The tragedy also claimed the lives of seven passengers and the aircraft's captain, who was identified as 55-year-old Jeffrey Gregory.
Austin-based tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, was on board with his wife Helen Sharp, their four-year-old daughter Emma, and their two-year-old son Charlie.
The family was traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina, and two close friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. None survived.
The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.