Nathalia Gadelha, 20, was identified as the copilot of a Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Nov. 1, killing all nine people aboard. (Foto: Instagram)
Nathalia Gadelha, 20, was identified by authorities as the copilot of a Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 1. All nine people aboard the private jet died after it struck the ground and exploded. The other eight victims had not been identified by authorities.
Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County and began pursuing aviation while she was still in high school. She earned her private pilot’s license at 17, in October 2023, before she had a driver’s license. She had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months and trained at American Flyers, an aviation school based in Addison, Texas, with a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida.
The jet was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it went down over a trailer park in Palm Beach County. The aircraft reportedly descended at more than 6,000 meters per minute before hitting the ground. The New York Post reported that Gadelha’s voice could be heard in an air traffic control recording released after the crash. Her mother, Camila Gadelha Corteleti, and stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, confirmed that it was her voice, according to the report.
In the recording, the pilot declared an emergency and reported excessive speed, saying the aircraft was descending at 20,000 feet per minute. A controller acknowledged the call and asked what assistance was needed. After receiving no response, the controller called the aircraft again and urged the pilot to speak. Gadelha then reported a descent of 22,000 feet and a 60-degree bank. With shouting audible in the background, she said, “We’re going to die. We’re going to die. We’re going to hit the ground. Look outside.” She added that they were running out of time. The controller’s final call asked whether she could hear and identified the station as Miami; the transmission then cut off.
About 10 minutes before the crash, Gadelha sent a message to her boyfriend, Justin, her stepfather said. She told him she was experiencing turbulence and ice. In a past interview with CBS12, Gadelha had joked about her flying skills: “People say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I tell them, ‘That’s true, but I can fly.’”
Her mother said she had wanted Gadelha to pursue her dream, even though she feared that flying would take her away. “I knew an airplane would take her from me. I always knew that, but I was so proud of her. I knew she was living her dream,” Camila said in a statement to U.S. media. She added that she believed flying would have been the way her daughter would have chosen to go, but said she did not want it to happen so soon.
