Father of 20-year-old pilot killed in Florida plane crash reveals heartbreaking reaction to her final words
Nathalia Filgueiras' has told how he has listened to his daughter's final moments onboard the doomed Learjet 60 'many times' in a bid to work out what happened.
Allan Filgueiras, who is also a pilot, spoke out for the first time on Friday (6 November) at a news conference following the tragedy in Palm Beach County, Florida, that killed nine people.
He told reporters how 'proud' Nathalia made him and paid tribute to his daughter, who he said bravely 'fought' against her fate.
The 20-year-old was second-in-command on the private jet that nose-dived into a residential area on Sunday (1 November), killing all those on board and leaving a 'crater-like' hole in the street.
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Nathalia frantically issued a mayday call in her final moments, warning air traffic control that they were 'going to crash into the ground'.
Allan revealed he has listened to the heartbreaking audio 'many times' in the hopes of finding 'a clue' as to what unfolded in the skies.
He described how he was stunned by his daughter's resilience in her final moments, saying: "I did listen to that many times trying to find a clue. In my head. How'd that happen? And wow, she's tough."
"She made me so proud," the father-of-four said. "She showed me what it is to be a hero, because once you see death coming, a lot of the big boys - military or whatever - they can't handle.
"And she was the one over there to the last minute, fighting."
Allan tearfully told how he wished he could have been 'inside the plane to help her'.
The devastated dad then spoke of how much his beloved daughter Nathalia adored flying, saying her 'happiest moments' were spent in the cockpit.
"When we were flying together, I used to instruct her," he went on. "And then, she became my instructor. She was gifted, and my soulmate."
The family's attorney, Stuart Grossman, said Nathalia was an 'extraordinary pilot' and described her death as a 'loss for aviation'.
"The purpose of this is to preserve not just her memory but her reputation," he said. "Nathalia was beyond an average pilot; she was extraordinary."
The Learjet co-pilot gained her private pilot’s license in 2023 when she was just 17.
'She was born to fly'
Jeffrey Gregory, 55, was at the helm of the Learjet 60 alongside Nathalia.
The jet was also carrying tech tycoon Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, and their two young children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, as it travelled to the Bahamas from Texas.
The children's nanny Anita Maria Cetina and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, were also onboard.
Earlier this week, one of the first instructors to take Nathalia under his wing, Chris Kirk, paid tribute to the 20-year-old and insisted she was 'born to fly'.
"She was without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught, and I have been teaching for 40 years," he said in a social media post shared on Wednesday. "That young lady was born to fly!
"There was not a check ride that the examiner was not blown away!"
Nathalia's family previously told how she sent her boyfriend a text just five minutes before the fatal crash, complaining that the plane was experiencing 'turbulence' and 'ice'.
Olivia Burke
