Woman, 20, identified as co-pilot in plane that crashed in Florida killing 9 people, got her pilot's licence in high school

The female co-pilot of the fatal Florida jet crash, which killed all nine people on board, has been identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras.

She could be heard pleading for help in air traffic control audio prior to the crash, the New York Post reported.

It was also reported that Filgueiras had received her pilot's licence in high school.

Jet crashed

An earlier report mentioned that a private jet in the U.S. plunged toward the ground in Florida on Nov. 1 (U.S. time).

Air traffic control revealed the final moments from the jet before the incident, reported the New York Post.

The private jet was headed from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

It crashed in Greenacres, Florida, a community for modular and mobile homes.

Just 10 minutes before the jet crashed, she texted her boyfriend, Justin, and said: "I’ve got turbulence, I've got ice."

Commercical pilot

Speaking to New York Post, Filgueiras' mother, Camila, as well as her stepfather, confirmed that she was the co-pilot of the Learjet 60.

She would be 21 years old in January 2027, her mother said, adding that Filgueiras had been a commercial pilot for nine months.

In addition, she had 1,300 hours of flying experience, Camila's husband, 44-year-old Thiago Corteleti said.

Pilot's licence before driver's licence

In October 2023, Filgueiras was just 17 when she got her private pilot's licence and was featured in local media at the time, New York Post reported.

She did not have her driver's licence yet.

New York Post reported Filgueiras as previously telling another media outlet, CBS12: "I definitely do brag because people say, 'Oh, you can't drive,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, but I can fly'."

She wanted to become a pilot from a young age after she took her father's Beechcraft Bonanza, an American general aviation aircraft.

Camila said Filgueiras came home one day after flying with her father and declared she would become a pilot.

Though Camila objected at the time, Filgueiras' father said she would become one if she wanted to

The second of three sisters then began to take pilot lessons in 2020, and her father, who learned flying for fun in 2018, also taught her, New York Post reported.

Dreamed to be commercial airline pilot

New York Post reported that Filgueiras was still too young to apply to work at American Airlines, though she dreamed of becoming a commercial airline pilot one day.

She had graduated from American Flyers, a Texas-based flying school with a Florida branch.

Filgueiras then started working as an instructor at another school before she got another pilot job.

Mum knew flying would kill daughter

Camila said: "I wanted her to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me."

"I knew that a plane was gonna take her away from me. I always knew it but I was so proud of her," she added, noting that she knew her daughter was living her dream.

"I know if she could pick a way to go, this would be her way to go, but I didn’t want it to be so soon."

Chilling audio

Prior to the crash, the pilot had initially reported moderate turbulence and manageable ice to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.

However, the pilot soon radioed: "We're descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000 ft per minute."

This was followed by: "We're going to crash into the ground."

About 35 seconds after the first mayday call, the last thing heard from the cockpit was a female crew member screaming, "Holy f*ck, we're out of time."

Investigation

Following the incident, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would investigate if parts of the jet broke off before it nose-dived and exploded, the BBC reported.

It added that it would also investigate the extent to which ice and turbulence could be contributing factors.

According to the BBC, other victims in the crash included a tech entrepreneur who was with his young family.