Palm Beach Crash: Copilot Identified as 20-Year-Old Brazilian

A Learjet 60 carried nine people when it crashed in a Palm Beach neighborhood on Sunday at 12:50 p.m. All nine occupants died in the accident. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the total headcount in a post on X, labeling the event a horrible tragedy.

Family members identified the co-pilot as Nathalia G. Filgueiras, a 20-year-old of Brazilian origin. Her father confirmed the identification. Her sister stated that Filgueiras learned to fly from her father, a pilot, and that aviation was her greatest passion.

The aircraft was heading to the Bahamas when it descended sharply. Video recorded by motorists in nearby vehicles shows the jet falling from the sky before impacting the ground near a busy road. The plane exploded into a ball of fire, leaving a large crater beside the roadway.

Witnesses described the impact as occurring mere meters from homes and centimeters from passing vehicles. Dense black smoke enveloped the site as flames flickered around fragments of asphalt. Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters at the scene that the crash was catastrophic. He described the jet as appearing like a missile descending from the sky.

Air traffic control recordings obtained by LiveATC.net reveal the pilot declared an emergency just before the crash. Minutes prior, the pilot reported clear and light ice accumulation that was manageable, along with moderate turbulence. The pilot noted the aircraft was being shaken at altitudes of approximately 700 feet.

Conditions deteriorated rapidly after the jet encountered precipitation and the pilot requested a climb. The aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate. The pilot transmitted that the plane was descending at 8,000 feet per minute while issuing a mayday call. The descent rate accelerated to 10,000 feet per minute, then to 20,000 feet per minute in an overspeed condition.

The pilot radioed, 'We are going to hit the ground,' just before impact. The Federal Aviation Administration will support the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation into the crash.