A female pilot flying the Learjet that crashed in Florida was reprimanded by an air traffic controller months earlier after reporting that turbulence was preventing the aircraft from maintaining altitude.
The exchange took place over Newark, New Jersey, in May. When the controller asked, “Why are you climbing?”, the pilot replied: “We are just about to call you, we are experiencing moderate [turbulence] and unable to hold altitude.”
The controller responded: “That is not moderate, descend to 4,000 [feet] immediately.” He added: “If you cant maintain altitude that is not moderate, that is severe turbulence, are you experiencing severe turbulence?”
The woman and a male pilot then both replied: “Affirmative sir.” It is not clear whether the woman heard in the recording was Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, who was co-pilot of the Learjet when it crashed near Palm Beach on Sunday.
However, the aircraft involved in the earlier incident carried the same tail number, N7226D, as the jet that plunged into the ground while travelling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
The Learjet was owned by Upper Jets, a private aviation company based in Fort Lauderdale. Filgueiras and pilot Jeff Gregory, 55, were on board when it crashed, killing them and seven passengers.
Florida Learjet crash investigation
The aircraft was approaching an area affected by two storm systems, or cells. Air traffic controllers in Miami had authorised the pilots to deviate in either direction because of precipitation to the south-east, described as “pretty nasty”.
Controllers were later heard referring to moderate turbulence as the aircraft approached the storms. Filgueiras’s voice then became increasingly distressed as the jet began losing control.
She reported: “Seven two two bravo delta, we’re descending 8,000… mayday mayday… we’re descending 10,000ft per minute.” Moments later, she said: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.”
Further transmissions included: “Descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground.” The controller replied: “I’m here with you, talk to me,” in an attempt to calm her.
Filgueiras then said: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.” Her final transmission was: “We’re out of time.” The pilot could also be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer shortly before impact.
Experts have speculated that the aircraft may have encountered “coffin corner” while attempting to climb above the storm systems. At high altitude, the safe range between the minimum and maximum speeds becomes extremely narrow, and exceeding either limit can result in a stall or loss of control.
Dashcam footage showed the jet descending almost vertically before striking the ground and exploding. The impact left a large crater in a road, scattered debris over a wide area and injured a man on the ground when he was hit by fragments.
The first passenger victims identified were Adam Robinson, 45, Helen Sharp, 40, and their two children. The family from Texas had been travelling with their nanny and two friends, who have not been identified.
Filgueiras, who grew up in Palm Beach County, obtained her pilot’s licence in 2023 at the age of 17. In a local television interview, she said: “I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly.’”
Her mother, Camila, said she loved the freedom of flying and described the experience of seeing the world “from the top”. Filgueiras had also shared videos of herself flying, including one recorded in September showing her behind the controls of the same Learjet.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
