A married couple and their two toddlers were among the nine people killed in a Florida Learjet crash, relatives have said.
The family were aboard the Learjet 60 when it crashed near West Palm Beach on Sunday. Their identities have not been disclosed.
The father of one of the adults told reporters: “It’s quite a blow. We had a daughter, her husband and two grandchildren on the plane.”
Social media accounts linked to the couple indicated that they were entrepreneurs.
Severe weather cited in Florida Learjet crash
National Transportation Safety Board officials said on Monday that severe weather appeared to have been a “significant factor” in the disaster.
The pilots had requested an increase in altitude of 2,000 feet after encountering a thunderstorm, officials said, shortly before the aircraft spiralled towards the ground.
Dashcam footage captured the Learjet nose-diving into an intersection before bursting into flames.
Air traffic control audio recorded the co-pilot, 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, screaming during a final call. The pilot beside her could be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
Filgueiras was heard saying that the Learjet had banked 60 degrees, indicating that it was flying sideways, while the man recited: “Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
Filgueiras, who grew up in Palm Beach County, obtained her pilot’s licence in 2023 at the age of 17 and had spoken publicly about her passion for aviation.
She previously told local television that she had “bragged” about gaining her licence to friends who teased her about not being able to drive. “Yeah, but I can fly,” she said.
Her mother, Camila, had shared photographs of Filgueiras and her siblings travelling on private jets. Camila said her daughter “loved the freedom” of seeing the world from above, while Filgueiras’s father, Allan, also held a pilot’s licence.
