Allan Filgueiras is speaking out five days after his daughter, Nathalia Filgueiras, the co-pilot of a Florida Learjet that crashed, died along with eight others.
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that → speak → others
The grieving father mourned his “soulmate” as he described repeatedly listening to the haunting air traffic control recording that captured his daughter’s last words.
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that → grieve → words
Filgueiras appeared alongside attorney Stuart Grossman at a news conference Friday morning, per WTVT, to honour the 20-year-old following Sunday’s devastating crash.
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Filgueiras → appear → crash
Like her father, Nathalia loved all things aviation.
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Nathalia → love → things
She earned her pilot’s licence at 17 and was working toward her dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot.
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She → earn → dream
“She used to say, ‘Dad, can you believe that I would pay for this, but they actually pay me?’ ” Allan recalled, describing her disbelief that she was being paid to do what she loved.
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she → use → what
Grossman spoke about Filgueiras’ experience and qualifications, which stood out despite her young age, according to the outlet.
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which → speak → outlet
“You read that someone is 20 years old and a co-pilot in a jet plane, you say, how can this be?
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this → 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
She was really special,” the attorney stated.
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attorney → state → ?
“Beyond an average pilot, she was extraordinary,” Grossman added, explaining that Allan used to fly with her, with Nathalia initally serving as the passenger.
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Nathalia → add → passenger
“When we flew together, I used to instruct her.
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I → fly → her
But then she became my instructor,” he remembered.
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he → become → ?
“She’d tell me, ‘Dad, I’m not being as tough on you as you were on me.’
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you → tell → me
”
What went wrong?
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What → go → ?
In the days since the crash, Allan said he has repeatedly listened to the cockpit audio recording, searching for clues about what went wrong.
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what → say → clues
He also revealed that he was in awe of his daughter’s composure in those final moments.
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he → reveal → moments
“She made me so proud.
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me → make → ?
She showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said.
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he → show → me
“Once you see that coming, a lot of the big boys — military or whatever — they can’t handle it,” he said.
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he → see → it
“But she was the one in there, fighting until the very last minute.
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she → fight → minute
I thought, ‘Wow, she is tough.’
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she → think → ?
”
Calm and composed until the end
Filgueiras was communicating with air traffic control when she reported that the plane was accumulating ice and experiencing turbulence as it approached a severe storm, according to the audio recording between the crew and controllers.
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it → compose → crew
Asked if he had a message for his daughter, Allan broke down and admitted he wished he had been with her before the tragedy.
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he → ask → tragedy
“She was gifted, and my soulmate,” he shared.
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he → gift → ?
“I wanted to be by her side inside the plane to help.
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I → want → plane
“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,” he added.
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he → have → her
Filgueiras, who is remarried and has three other children, said he is determined to keep going.
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he → have → children
“Nathalia doesn’t want to see her father falling apart,” he said.
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he → want → ?
“So, I’m going to find a way to make her proud — and make my wife and other three kids proud, too.”
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wife → go → way
Cause of the crash remains unknown
Federal investigators are reviewing multiple factors as they work to determine what caused the fatal plane crash.
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what → review → crash
The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and bound for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down in Palm Beach County, Fla.
Officials said the plane left a massive crater in the road and scattered debris across the area.
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plane → depart → area
Video shows the plane nose-diving toward the ground before exploding and sending black plumes of smoke into the air.
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plane → show → air
Grossman also expressed condolences to the other victims and their loved ones.
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Grossman → express → victims
Pilot Jeff Gregory was in the cockpit with Filgueiras when the plane plummeted to the ground.
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plane → plummet → ground
The other passengers who died were tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson and his wife, artist Helen Sharp; their two children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina; and the couple’s friends, Charmi Fehr and Rachael Reed.
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who → die → ?
Filgueiras’ family had not filed a lawsuit as of Friday, the outlet reported.
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outlet → file → Friday
Their attorneys said they are waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board to complete its investigation.
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Board → say → investigation
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