A flight instructor has paid tribute to Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, the co-pilot killed in the Palm Beach Learjet crash, describing her as one of the most naturally gifted pilots he had taught.
Chris Kirk, who said he had been one of Ms Gadelha Filgueiras’s first instructors and mentors, defended her abilities in a social media post following the crash.
“Without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught,” he said, adding that examiners were routinely impressed during her check rides. “That young lady was born to fly!”
Mr Kirk said he had taught for 40 years and recalled Ms Gadelha Filgueiras completing her Learjet type rating with fewer than 1,100 flight hours. He said she excelled in the pilot-in-command certification, with the examiner believing she had logged closer to 5,000 hours.
He also described how she had been given the opportunity to fly a range of aircraft, including tailwheel planes and a Caravan.
Mr Kirk said her passion for aviation distinguished her from some other pilots in training, whom he claimed were more focused on reaching the airlines and earning large salaries than on loving the profession.
Ms Gadelha Filgueiras was serving as co-pilot aboard a Learjet 60 travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County on November 1. All nine people on board were killed, including captain Jeff Gregory and members of the family of chief executive Adam Robinson.
Her stepfather, Thiago Corleti, said she had sent her pilot boyfriend a message shortly before the crash warning: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Investigators are examining reports of icing and turbulence, as well as parts of the aircraft that appeared to have separated before the impact.
