Friends and relatives of 20-year-old pilot Nathalia Filgueiras have spoken publicly after the Learjet she was co-piloting crashed in West Palm Beach, Florida, killing all nine people on board.
Filgueiras was flying with Jeff Gregory, 55, when the twin-engine business jet lost control and plunged tens of thousands of feet before hitting the ground on Sunday. The impact caused a fireball, a large crater in the road and a debris field stretching for about half a mile.
Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, said the family was struggling to come to terms with the crash. “All we know is that our daughter is down there, under the ground with that airplane,” he said.
Mikaela Schluth, who had known Filgueiras since middle school, said she was proud of her friend after hearing the final air traffic control exchanges. She described the recording as “the worst thing I’ve ever heard”.
Final radio messages before Learjet crash
Controllers in Miami had authorised the pilots to deviate left or right because of “moderate precipitation” to the south-east. As the aircraft approached the area, the weather was described as “pretty nasty”, with moderate turbulence also reported.
Filgueiras then reported that the aircraft was descending rapidly. “Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000ft per minute,” she said.
Seconds later, she declared an emergency, saying the jet was in an “overspeed condition”. She subsequently reported that it was descending at 20,000ft per minute and warned: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
An air traffic controller replied: “I’m here with you, talk to me.” Filgueiras then said the aircraft was descending at 22,000ft per minute and banking at 60 degrees.
“We’re out of time,” she shouted in her final transmission.
Weather conditions in the West Palm Beach area at the time included overcast skies, rain and lightning. Winds were from the east at 15mph, gusting to nearly 25mph.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. NTSB member Tom Chapman said the aircraft appeared to have begun breaking apart before impact and that debris could be found some distance from the crash site.
The Learjet had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas at 10.37am local time and was bound for the Bahamas. It had been flying east at 35,000ft when problems were reported.
Families remember those killed
Among those on board were technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, his wife, Helen Sharp, 40, and their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two. Their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, was also travelling with them, along with Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.
A statement from the families described Robinson and Sharp as devoted parents, saying their children “were the light of their lives”. It added that the couple’s warmth and generosity had touched many people.
Reed and Fehr were remembered as full of joy and adventure, while Cetina was described as having cared for the children with “tenderness and devotion” and as being part of the family.
Robinson founded the technology company Retention and regularly spoke about building a successful start-up. Sharp ran a communications firm and owned a pottery studio in Aspen.
Sharp’s family said: “To know Helen was to love her. The number of people grieving Helen and Adam is a testament to how many people were lucky enough to have them in their lives.”
