{"id":445134,"date":"2026-11-02T14:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/445134\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T14:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:48:13","slug":"nathalia-gadelha-identified-as-learjet-co-pilot-in-florida-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/445134\/","title":{"rendered":"Nathalia Gadelha identified as Learjet co-pilot in Florida crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

The doomed Learjet co-pilot heard pleading for help in harrowing air traffic control audio <\/a>before the fiery Florida crash has been identified as Nathalia Gadelha \u2013 a 20-year-old who got her pilot license while still in high school.<\/p>\n

Gadelha\u2019s mother, Camila, and her stepfather confirmed to The Post that she was the co-pilot flying a Learjet 60 from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it entered a steep nosedive \u2013 plummeting at over 20,000 feet per minute \u2013 and smashed into the ground<\/a> in Palm Beach County on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The young aviator, who grew up in Palm Beach County, was previously featured in local media when she got her private pilot\u2019s license at just 17 back in October 2023 \u2014 before she even had her driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n

Nathalia Gadelha, 20, has been identified as one of the co-pilots in the fatal Florida crash. @itsnatfilg\/Threads<\/p>\n

Gadelha can be heard in harrowing air traffic control audio moments before the fatal crash. @itsnatfilg\/Threads<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely do brag because people say, \u2018Oh, you can\u2019t drive,\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah, but I can fly,’\u201d she told CBS12<\/a> in an interview at the time.<\/p>\n

The West Boca Raton High School senior explained that she began pilot lessons in 2020, but was also taught by her dad, who learned flying for fun in 2018.<\/p>\n

A fireball rises into the sky after a Learjet crashed in a residential area in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Nov. 1, 2026. Aki Kuusisto via REUTERS<\/p>\n

A Learjet 60 carrying nine people crashes in a South Florida neighborhood on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Aki Kuusisto via Storyful<\/p>\n

Her mother often shared posts on social media<\/a> of the family flying in private jets together.<\/p>\n

In the article, Gadelha explained that she had flown every day since ground school, building 88 hours of flight time and passing the knowledge test.<\/p>\n

The School District of Palm Beach County\u2019s Aviation Academy paid for her pilot\u2019s license after introducing the program that year, in 2023.<\/p>\n

As a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton High School, she earned her private pilot\u2019s license. CBS12<\/p>\n

Gadelha had said her dream was to become a commercial airline pilot. @itsnatfilg\/Threads<\/p>\n

\u201cI like being different than everyone, so to me I think it\u2019s cool that like it\u2019s not really an opportunity,\u201d Gadelha said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just didn\u2019t do it, and this is how it ended up. But I think it\u2019s cool. Some people think that it\u2019s weird that I can fly planes, but I can\u2019t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it\u2019s funny. I think it\u2019s funny, and I now want my [driver\u2019s] license really bad,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Gadelha said her dream was to become a commercial airline pilot one day.<\/p>\n

A Learjet 60 nose-dived into a road in Greenacres, a Palm Beach neighborhood, leaving nine people on board dead after the crash. NBC Miami<\/p>\n

She graduated from American Flyers, an Addison, Texas-based flying school with a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n

In a recent social media post, Gadelha shared a video of herself and her boyfriend, Justin, flying together.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow often do you see 2 pilots under 21 with a commercial, multi-engine, instrument, CFI\/CFI-I [Certified Flight Instructor\/Certified Flight Instructor \u2013 Instrument],\u201d she wrote in the overlay text.<\/p>\n

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