NASA boss defends Florida Learjet co-pilot who ‘knew she was dying’ during chilling calls

NASA boss defends Florida Learjet co-pilot who ‘knew she was dying’ during chilling calls Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was the 20-year-old co-pilot on board the Learjet 60 travelling to the Bahamas when it crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board The co-pilot of the private jet which crashed in Florida - killing all nine people on board - continued to "do her job" likely knowing "she was going to die", the leader of NASA has said. The plane burst into flames when it crashed in Greenacres, about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach, on Sunday. Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was the 20-year-old co-pilot on board the Learjet 60, which was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. She gave the final radio transmissions to air traffic control and was heard screaming before the moment of impact in harrowing audio clips which have since emerged. Pilot Jeffrey Gregory, 55, could then be heard reciting the Lord's Prayer as Nathalia screamed "we're going to crash into the ground" and "holy f*** we’re out of time" before the audio from the Learjet went silent. Nathalia, who grew up in Palm Beach County, earned her private pilot's licence at just 17, before she even had a driving licence. She began flying lessons in 2020 and also received guidance from her father, who took up flying as a hobby in 2018. NASA Administrator and pilot Jared Isaacman has defended Nathalia following the crash, saying she "was doing her job, communicating with ATC right to the end in a terrifying situation." "She likely knew before many of those calls that she was going to die," he wrote. "I have heard final calls from friends, from military pilots with thousands of hours in fighter aircraft, and they are just as heartbreaking because they know the end is approaching." The passengers who died have been named as entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 44, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, their two children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, their nanny Anita Maria Cetina and two family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. The plane was heading east when the pilot started to report problems. According to air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net, Nathalia said ice was accumulating on the jet and that turbulence was jolting it by as much as 700ft. “We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” she told controllers in a professional tone before the situation rapidly deteriorated. She requested permission to climb another 2,000ft and then quickly declared an emergency as the jet lost altitude at an alarming rate. “We’re descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” Nathalia was heard saying. “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute.” Video shows the plane banking sharply to the right before crashing and exploding. Mikaela Schluth, who has known Nathalia since they were at school together, said the recording was "probably the worst thing I've ever heard" in an interview with CBS News. She told the outlet that she was proud of how Nathalia dealt the situation, and how "she was able to stay calm and give information, up until the last minute".