The identity of the female pilot heard communicating with air traffic controllers moments before a Learjet 60 crashed in Florida, killing all nine people aboard, has triggered intense speculation on social media.
asserted
Learjet → hear → media
Two names, Alexandra Dudgeon and Nathalia Filgueiras, have surfaced online, but authorities have not officially identified the aircraft's pilots or passengers.
asserted
authorities → surface → pilots
"To everyone reaching out and posting my LinkedIn profile all over social media, I was not involved in the accident.
asserted
I → reach → accident
Thank you for checking in," Dudgeon apparently released a statement.
asserted
Dudgeon → thank → statement
The Learjet 60, registered as N722BD, crashed in a residential area of Greenacres in Palm Beach County on November 1.
asserted
Learjet → register → November
The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
asserted
aircraft → depart → Bahamas
While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that nine people were aboard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and local authorities had not released their identities as of November 2.
asserted
Board → confirm → November
The speculation intensified after recordings of the final communications between the aircraft and air traffic control circulated online.
asserted
recordings → intensify → aircraft
A female voice can be heard reporting icing conditions and moderate turbulence before the situation deteriorates rapidly and the crew declares an emergency.
asserted
crew → hear → emergency
Alexandra Dudgeon's name began circulating after social media users linked her to Upper Jets, an aviation company, and identified her as a Learjet 60 pilot and second-in-command (SIC).
asserted
users → begin → command
A professional profile attributed to Dudgeon reportedly lists her as an LR-60 Pilot SIC.
uncertain
profile → attribute → SIC
Users also pointed to an image on her LinkedIn profile that they said showed an aircraft bearing the same registration number as the Learjet involved in the crash, N722BD.
asserted
they → point → crash
Why is Nathalia Filgueiras's name circulating?
asserted
name → circulate → ?
Another name being discussed online is Nathalia Filgueiras, a Florida pilot who attracted attention in 2023 after earning her private pilot's licence while still in high school.
asserted
who → discuss → school
According to a CBS12 report published on October 24, 2023, Filgueiras was then a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton High School in Palm Beach County.
uncertain
Filgueiras → accord → County
She obtained her private pilot's licence in September that year, before getting her driver's licence.
asserted
She → obtain → licence
She had started ground school in 2020 and accumulated 88 hours of flight time, according to the report.
uncertain
She → start → report
Her father, who had started flying recreationally in 2018, also helped her learn about aviation.
asserted
who → start → aviation
The School District of Palm Beach County funded her private pilot's licence through its Aviation Academy.
asserted
District → fund → Academy
At the time, Filgueiras said she hoped to become a commercial airline pilot or fly private jets.
asserted
she → say → jets
Her name resurfaced following the Learjet crash, with social media users claiming she was the female pilot aboard the aircraft.
asserted
she → resurface → aircraft
Some posts have cited alleged social media activity and a purported connection to the Learjet 60.
asserted
posts → cite → Learjet
What happened in the final moments before the Learjet crash?
asserted
What → happen → crash
The Learjet 60 was flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when the crew reported encountering icing conditions, moderate turbulence and precipitation.
asserted
crew → fly → conditions
According to flight-tracking data and air traffic control recordings reviewed by Flightradar24, the crew requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet in search of better flying conditions.
uncertain
crew → accord → conditions
Shortly after receiving clearance, the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly.
asserted
aircraft → receive → altitude
The pilot reported an accelerating descent, with the rate eventually reaching 20,000 feet per minute, alongside an overspeed condition.
asserted
rate → report → condition
The final communications included a warning: "We're going to crash into the ground."
The aircraft descended more than 32,000 feet per minute at one point, according to Flightradar24's tracking data, before crashing near Military Trail in Palm Beach County.
uncertain
aircraft → include → County
All nine people aboard died.
asserted
people → die → ?
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash, and the cause has not yet been established.
asserted
cause → investigate → crash
While the female voice in the cockpit recordings has fuelled questions about the identity of the pilot, neither Alexandra Dudgeon nor Nathalia Filgueiras has been officially identified as an occupant of the aircraft.
asserted
Dudgeon → fuel → aircraft
The identities of all nine people remain unconfirmed publicly.
uncertain
identities → remain → people
The Aporia
