A Young Co-Pilot Identified
Family members have identified Nathalia Gadelha as the co-pilot heard screaming for help shortly before the Learjet crashed in a massive fireball Sunday. The 20-year-old was among nine people aboard the aircraft, and all nine were confirmed dead. Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County and had already attracted attention for pursuing aviation at a remarkably young age. The audio captured a frightening plea for help shortly before the crash, while the identification brought the tragedy closer to home for those who knew her. What began as a flight from Austin, Texas, toward the Bahamas ended in a deadly crash in Greenacres, Florida.
She Learned to Fly Before Driving
Before this tragedy, Gadelha had earned her private pilot’s license at 17, in October 2023. She accomplished that before getting her driver’s license, an unusual achievement she discussed during an interview with CBS12. Gadelha explained that people joked because she could fly a plane but could not drive a car. She said she liked being different and thought the contrast was cool, while also acknowledging that she wanted her driver’s license. Her interest in aviation began earlier, when she started pilot lessons in 2020. She was not simply talking about flying. She had already taken serious steps toward making it part of her future.
A Dream of Commercial Aviation
Gadelha’s father also taught her to fly, and she graduated from American Flyers, a flight school based in Addison, Texas, with a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida. At the time of her 2023 interview, she was a senior at West Boca Raton High School. Her goal was to become a commercial airline pilot one day. That ambition makes the loss even more heartbreaking. At 20, she was still near the beginning of the career she hoped to build, but she had already shown unusual dedication to aviation. Her family’s confirmation identified her as the person heard screaming for help shortly before the crash.
The Fatal Crash in Greenacres
The $2 million Learjet 60 plunged from the sky in a high-speed dive Sunday afternoon and struck a mobile home park in Greenacres, in Palm Beach County, about nine miles from Mar-a-Lago. The crash tore down power lines, left a large crater in the road, and erupted into a fireball that demolished at least one home. The aircraft had departed Austin and was en route to the Bahamas when it went down. Nine people were on board, and all were confirmed dead. The scene left a community facing destroyed property, a devastating loss of life, and the painful end of a young pilot’s aviation dream.