The Eyrie

WASHINGTON, DC — The father of the 20-year-old co-pilot killed in Sunday’s Learjet crash in Florida says listening to his daughter’s final radio calls has left him searching for answers, but also filled with pride. Allan Filgueiras, who is a pilot himself, said he has replayed the transmissions many times since the jet went down with nine people on board.

At a news conference Friday, he said the recordings captured his daughter, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, staying composed as the aircraft encountered dangerous conditions. He described the experience as heartbreaking for the family, but said the way she handled the emergency showed strength under extreme pressure.

Final transmissions captured ice, turbulence and a rapid descent

According to the air traffic control exchange, Filgueiras reported ice buildup as the Learjet flew into a thunderstorm and was jolted by severe turbulence. The aircraft was tossed up and down by about 700 feet before the situation worsened quickly.

Her final warning to controllers was urgent and clear: “Declare an emergency 722-Bravo-Delta. We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute!” Those calls, her father and aviation experts said, showed that she kept providing updates even as the flight appeared to be entering a fatal sequence.

Family pushes back against criticism over her age and experience

The family is also pushing back against online criticism questioning whether Filgueiras was experienced enough to serve in the cockpit of a Learjet. Her father and his attorney said she had more than 1,300 hours of flight experience and had completed extensive training to earn her commercial pilot’s license.

Attorney Stuart Grossman said Friday’s news conference was meant to protect her memory and her reputation. He said she was at the top of her class and “perfectly qualified” to be the co-pilot on the flight despite her young age. There are no immediate plans to file a lawsuit over the crash, Grossman said.

Investigators have not said what caused the Learjet to break apart

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, but officials have said it is too early to determine why the plane came apart. As the Learjet fell, it accelerated beyond its design limits, and pieces of the tail were later found miles from the wreckage.

The extent of the breakup has raised serious questions about what happened in the air, but investigators have not released a cause. The crash killed everyone aboard, including the captain, Jeff Gregory, who was 55 and was at the controls as the plane descended.

A retired pilot says the young co-pilot earned her place in the cockpit

Retired airline pilot John Cox, now the CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said Filgueiras’ age should not be mistaken for a lack of ability. He said he began flying professionally at 19 and saw her situation as comparable to the start of his own career.

Cox said that to be seated in the right seat of a Lear 60, she would have had to impress experienced aviators. He said the role suggested she had earned trust through skill and performance, not just ambition.

Father says his daughter fought until the end and inspired the family

Allan Filgueiras said the recordings left him devastated, but also convinced him that his daughter remained focused on the emergency until the end. Speaking in Spanish, he said the loss felt like his heart had been torn out and that he has to find a way to keep living.

He said what he heard in her last moments made her a hero in his eyes. “She showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said, describing how she kept fighting even after she could see what was coming.

Nine victims were aboard the Florida flight as grief spreads beyond the cockpit

Relatives said the victims included technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their two young children. The family’s nanny, Ana María Ramírez Cetina, was also killed in the crash.

The Learjet tragedy has drawn attention not only because of the violent breakup of the aircraft, but also because of the final words of a young co-pilot whose family says she stayed calm to the end. For now, the investigation continues and the family is left with memories, unanswered questions and the recordings they keep replaying.