Family and friends remember 20-year-old co-pilot killed in Florida Learjet crash

Friends and relatives of Nathalia Filgueiras gathered Sunday and Monday at her family's home in Boca Raton, Florida, a neighborhood of palm-tree-lined streets and neatly kept lawns, to mourn the 20-year-old co-pilot who died when a Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County, killing all nine people aboard.

Her mother, Camila Corteleti, her older sister Giulia Filgueiras, her stepfather Thiago Corteleti and her younger sister came together in the dining room, dressed in black and white with eyes swollen from crying, as they waited for word from authorities about her remains.

Nicole Tarantino, 21, who had known Filgueiras since elementary school, visited the home on Monday after waking to the news of her friend's death. "She was a beautiful person inside and out," Tarantino told NBC News, adding through tears that Filgueiras had always known she wanted to fly. "When it came to picking colleges, she was looking at aviation schools," she said. "She was dedicated. She was only 20 years old doing all of that, and she excelled at it."

Filgueiras grew up in a Brazilian household in Boca Raton and was inspired by her father, Allan Filgueiras, himself a pilot, who taught her to fly. She earned her pilot license in 2023 as a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton Community High School. South Florida station WPEC reported at the time that the Palm Beach County School District paid for her private pilot license through the school's aviation academy.

"Flying was her biggest passion," Giulia Filgueiras told NBC News. "That was her dream, to become a pilot, since she was very young."

The young co-pilot's final words were captured in a distressing air traffic control call on Sunday. "Mayday, mayday. We're descending 10,000 feet per minute," she said, followed by, "We're gonna crash into the ground, 722 Bravo Delta," and then a scream. Her father told NBC News she had been serving as first officer, the right-seat, second-in-command co-pilot who assists the captain in navigating and operating the flight.

The passengers killed in the crash were identified by their families on Monday as Adam Robinson and Helen Sharp and their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, along with Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and Anita Maria Cetina. The families shared the names on Facebook.

At a news conference on Monday, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said they are still working to determine what caused the plane to go down in a Palm Beach County neighborhood. NTSB member Tom Chapman said the Learjet 60 departed Texas around 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, headed for the Bahamas. At 12:47 p.m. ET, the crew reported moderate turbulence after encountering "clear ice" at 35,000 feet and requested a climb to 37,000 feet, which was approved. Thirty seconds later, the aircraft began its fatal descent.

Investigators and local officials urged any witnesses who may have recorded video of the crash to come forward to assist the inquiry. Those who knew Filgueiras, meanwhile, say they will remember her for the determination she showed in pursuing her dreams. "She was a light, and she did what she loved," Tarantino said.