Nathalia Gadelha, a 20-year-old pilot, has been identified as the co-pilot heard making the final mayday call before a Learjet crashed into a Florida neighbourhood, killing nine people.
The Bahamas-bound private jet plunged more than 30,000 feet in about a minute before exploding in Green Acres, 11km south of Palm Beach. The names of those killed have not yet been released by authorities.
Gadelha’s family confirmed she was aboard the flight, which left Austin on Sunday. Federal investigators are expected to provide an update on the cause of the Florida Learjet crash on Monday, local time.
The Learjet 60 was travelling east at 35,000 feet when Gadelha reported that ice was building up on the aircraft and that turbulence was causing it to jolt by as much as 700 feet.
“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” she told air traffic controllers, according to recordings of the exchange.
She then requested permission to climb a further 2,000 feet before declaring an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly.
“We’re descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” Gadelha said.
The pilot later radioed: “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute.” He then said: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
The aircraft banked sharply to the right before striking the ground and exploding. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured.
Anthony Blackmon, who lives near the crash site, said: “Debris was everywhere. Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire. The road was on fire.”
Authorities evacuated about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board began investigating.
DeSantis described the scene as “a cataclysmic plane crash” and said the aircraft “looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road”.
Gadelha had obtained her private pilot’s licence at 17, before she was able to drive. She completed her licence in October 2023 through the Palm Beach County School District’s Aviation Academy after graduating from the Pompano Beach branch of American Flyers.
She had told local television station CBS12 that she hoped eventually to become a commercial airline pilot. Her social media posts included photographs of her in the cockpits of light aircraft and flying alongside her boyfriend, Justin, who is also a pilot.
