The Eyrie

PALM SPRINGS, FL — Nearly a week after a Learjet crash in Palm Beach County killed nine people, the father of the 20-year-old copilot described his daughter as both a talented pilot and the person closest to his heart. Allan Filgueiras spoke Friday morning alongside attorney Stuart Grossman, offering an emotional tribute to Nathalia Filgueiras after Sunday’s deadly wreck in a residential area.

Filgueiras said his daughter was extraordinary in the cockpit and that flying had been central to her life. He also said he had replayed cockpit audio in the days since the crash, trying to understand what happened and taking comfort in what he saw as her composure in the final moments.

A daughter inspired by aviation and guided by her father

According to the family’s account, Nathalia Filgueiras was born in Miami and became interested in aviation after her father introduced her to flying. He used to take her along as a passenger, and that early exposure grew into a career that her family said she pursued with unusual focus and skill.

Grossman said she was top of her class and fully qualified despite her young age. He also said the family wanted to express condolences to everyone who died in the crash, along with their relatives and friends, while making clear they were not suing anyone at this time.

The attorney described her as “beyond an average pilot” and said she was driven by a deep love of flight. The family’s comments painted a picture of a young aviator whose enthusiasm never faded, even after turning professional.

Her father says the cockpit became their shared language

Filgueiras recalled that some of his happiest moments with his daughter were in the air. He said she could not believe she was being paid to do what she loved, and he repeated a line she used to say to him: that she would have paid for the experience herself if she had to.

He also said the relationship between them changed as her training advanced. “When we flew together, I used to instruct her,” he said, adding with a smile that she later became his instructor. The reversal, he suggested, was a point of pride as much as a sign of how far she had come.

He told reporters that he had wanted to be beside her in the plane and help her if needed. In his view, her final moments showed strength, and he said she fought “until the very last minute.”

Crash in Palm Springs killed all nine people aboard

The Learjet 60 crashed around 12:50 p.m. Sunday in a residential area in Palm Springs, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency said the flight had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down.

Emergency crews from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department and county fire rescue responded right away. Officials said the plane left a large crater beside the road and scattered debris throughout the area, underscoring the force of the impact.

Video from the scene showed the aircraft nose-diving before bursting into flames and sending thick black smoke into the air. The FAA said all nine people aboard were killed.

Investigators are still working to determine what happened

Officials have not yet said what caused the jet to crash. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are examining multiple factors as they work to piece together the sequence of events that led to the deadly descent.

Grossman said the family is waiting for those findings before making any claims or accusations. For now, he said, the focus remains on honoring Nathalia Filgueiras and the other people who died in the crash.

The tragedy also affected nearby residents, who were displaced after the plane came down in the neighborhood. Federal investigators have not announced a timeline for any findings, and the cause remains unknown.

A father faces the loss while trying to keep moving forward

In Spanish, Allan Filgueiras said he has to find a way to live. He added that he has a wife and three other children depending on him, and that he is determined to keep going for them as well as for the daughter he lost.

He said Nathalia would not want to see her father fall apart. Instead, he said he intends to live in a way that makes her proud and honors the family they built together.

His remarks captured both the depth of the loss and the resolve he says he must find in its aftermath. For him, the memory of his daughter remains tied to the sky, where she found her calling and where he says she became the aviator he always hoped she could be.