Co-pilot, 20, who died in the Florida Learjet crash that killed all nine on board was 'born to fly', says her instructor
The tail section of Learjet 60 N722BD, whose co-pilot was heard screaming the jet was descending at 20,000 feet per minute in an overspeed condition before impact.Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras (left), the co-pilot, pictured with pilot Jeff Gregory, whose final recorded words were the Lord's Prayer as the Learjet plunged towards the ground.Dashcam footage of the Learjet 60's impact near West Palm Beach, as Transport Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash "a horrific tragedy.Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their children Emma and Charlie, who were among the nine killed; the crew had reported light icing and requested clearance to climb to 37,000 feet before issuing a mayday call less than 30 seconds later.
Nathalia Filgueiras, a 20-year-old co-pilot from Boca Raton, Florida, had fewer than 1,100 flying hours when she earned her Learjet Pilot-in-Command type rating — yet examiners thought she had logged around 5,000.
Aviation expert Justin Crabbe says the pilots likely fell victim to 'get-there-itis', pressing on into a lethal storm rather than diverting around it.
Investigators recovered pieces of the jet's left elevator up to 3.8 miles from the crater, suggesting the Learjet began breaking apart before it hit the ground.
Filgueiras's stepfather Thiago Corteleti said outside the family home: 'Our daughter is down there, under the ground with that airplane.'
