The family of a 20-year-old co-pilot killed in Sunday’s fatal Learjet crash in Palm Beach County has praised her as a "tough and professional" aviator as they search for answers about the disaster that claimed nine lives.
asserted
that → kill → lives
Allan Filgueiras, father of co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, spoke at a Friday news conference with attorney Stuart Grossman of the Coral Gables law firm Grossman, Yaffa & Cohen, who is representing the family.
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who → speak → family
Pointing to his daughter’s final radio transmissions reporting icing and severe turbulence, Filgueiras emphasized her composure under extreme stress during the flight’s final moments.
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Filgueiras → point → moments
The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it plunged to the ground near Greenacres around 12:51 p.m.
Recalling his daughter's dedication to aviation, Filgueiras shared a memory of her excitement over her career: “She said, Dad, can you believe, can you believe that I would pay for this, but they are actually paying me!
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they → travel → me
You know, I would pay this, but I’m actually getting paid, so it was her happiest moment to fly.”
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it → know → this
Filgueiras expressed his ongoing grief and desire to support the rest of his family.
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Filgueiras → express → family
“She made me so proud, she showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said.
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he → make → me
“I wanted to be by her side, and fly the plane to help her, to be by her.
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I → want → her
I had to be next to her.”
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I → have → her
Gadelha Filgueiras earned her pilot’s license at 17 years odl and was working toward a career as a commercial airline pilot.
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Filgueiras → earn → pilot
Pointing to her extensive record despite her young age, Grossman pointed out that her qualifications far exceeded typical expectations.
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qualifications → point → expectations
“You read that someone is 20 years old and a co-pilot in a jet plane, you say, how can this be?” Grossman said.
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Grossman → read → plane
“Wait until you see her hours, and what the government proves about her capabilities and what her instructors had to say.
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instructors → wait → what
Before the crash, Gadelha Filgueiras notified air traffic control that the aircraft was encountering severe icing and turbulence as it approached a storm system.
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it → notify → system
“We’re descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday,” Gadelha Filgueiras radioed in audio obtained by Sky News and CNN.
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Filgueiras → descend → News
“We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.”
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We → descend → minute
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute ,” she continued.
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she → descend → minute
“We’re going to crash into the ground.”
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We → go → ground
Around 35 seconds after that initial mayday call, she said: “We’re out of time.”
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We → say → time
The plane went down moments after the transmission.
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plane → go → transmission
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board remain at the scene and reported recovering a portion of one of the aircraft's engines on Thursday.
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Investigators → remain → Thursday
Local authorities noted that site clearance could take up to 30 days, leaving nearby residents and businesses facing continued access restrictions.
uncertain
clearance → note → restrictions
NTSB officials have not yet determined what caused the crash.
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what → determine → crash
The Aporia
