WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – The co-pilot who was heard pleading for help as her Learjet plunged to earth and crashed in Florida on Sunday has been identified as Nathalia Gadelha – a 20-year-old who received her flying license while still in high school, according to the New York Post.
As WorldNetDaily reported, all nine people aboard the Learjet 60 were killed when the aircraft went into a steep nosedive and slammed into a neighborhood in suburban West Palm Beach, about nine miles from the Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago home of President Donald Trump.
LISTEN TO THE FINAL MOMENTS BEFORE THE CRASH:
The Co-Pilot in yesterday’s fatal Learjet crash in Miami has been identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha.
A private Learjet 60 carrying nine people went down Sunday afternoon in Palm Beach County, Florida, after departing Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas. According to the FAA the crew first reported dealing with ice, moderate turbulence, and precipitation before declaring an emergency as the jet entered a steep, rapid descent. All nine on board were lost. No one on the ground was injured, though roughly 600 nearby residents were evacuated from the residential area nearby. The NTSB is leading the investigation.
According to the New York Post, the co-pilot has been identified as 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha, a Palm Beach County native. Her mother and stepfather confirmed the identification to the paper. She earned her private pilot’s license at 17 in 2023 through the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy, before she even had a driver’s license, and had spoken at the time about her goal of becoming a commercial pilot. Local reporting from CBS12 in 2023 documented her early training and flight hours.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the loss of control.
— Robbie Harvey (@therobbieharvey) November 2, 2026
Confirmation of her identity came from Gadelha’s mother, Camila, and her stepfather, who told the Post she was flying a Learjet 60 from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it began plummeting.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause.
The Post reports: “The young aviator, who grew up in Palm Beach County, was previously featured in local media when she got her private pilot’s license at just 17 back in October 2023 – before she even had her driver’s license.”
WATCH: New video shows Learjet 60 business jet crashing near West Palm Beach, Florida.
The plane was completely disintegrated upon impact. Number of casualties unknown. https://t.co/l5JT9KEWnQ
— BNO News (@BNONews) November 1, 2026
“I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,’” she told CBS12 in a 2023 interview.
“I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it’s cool that like it’s not really an opportunity, I just didn’t do it, and this is how it ended up. But I think it’s cool,” she told the station.
“Some people think that it’s weird that I can fly planes, but I can’t drive a car, I mean I can but, a lot of people think it’s funny. I think it’s funny and I now want my (drivers) license really bad.”
The Post indicated Gadelha graduated from American Flyers, an Addison, Texas-based flying school with a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida.
She recently shared video of herself and her boyfriend, Justin, flying together.
“How often do you see 2 pilots under 21 with a commercial, multi-engine, instrument, CFI/CFI-I [Certified Flight Instructor/Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument],” she wrote.
Haunting audio of the last moments in the cockpit were released on Sunday, with a female voice declaring, “Mayday! Mayday!”
“We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.”
The woman’s voice suddenly starts evincing uncontrollable fear: “Declaring emergency! 722 bravo delta. We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute!”
“Let me know what you need,” an air-traffic controller responds.
“We’re gonna crash into the ground,” the woman explains.
“I’m here with you. Talk to me,” the controller replies.
“We are descending 22,000 feet and we are banking 60 degrees,” the aviator says.
The last words from the woman appeared to be: “Holy f***! We’re out of time.”
The audio from the crash in Palm Beach was just released. It’s harrowing
“Look outside Jack, holy fk we’re out of time” https://t.co/QgTro4TEJI
— Braeden (@BraedenSorbo) November 1, 2026
Here is the Learjet crashing on Palm Beach. Frame by frame https://t.co/nCoRIIDXGP
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) November 1, 2026
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