Haunting final text message of 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha who died in fatal Florida crash that killed nine
Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha's final text message before her tragic death has been revealed.
Nathalia died alongside eight others onboard the aircraft which crashed in the Greenacres area of Palm Beach County, Florida. Officials said the Learjet 60 came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, at approximately 12:50 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 1, before bursting into flames.
The 20-year-old, who received her private pilot’s license at just 17, is said to have been messaging her pilot boyfriend about the turbulence just ten minutes before the plane crashed, according to the New York Post.
“She texted her boyfriend, I think, at 12:40 p.m. and the accident was at 12:50 p.m.,” her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, told the outlet.
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According to her stepfather, Nathalia texted her boyfriend: "I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice."
Nathalia, who began flying lessons in 2020, was previously taught by her father, who qualified in 2018, and said she dreamed of being a commercial pilot one day.
"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 [driver’s] license really bad," she previously told CBS12.
The private jet, which had been traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas after departing for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, is said to have plunged approximately 35,000 feet in just over a minute.
Nathalia was identified earlier today (November 2) by her mother, Camila, and her stepfather. However, her co-pilot has not yet been identified.
According to air traffic control recordings obtained by LiveATC.net, the pilot's final words before the rapid descent were: "We're going to crash into the ground."
It came just moments before they had radioed: "We're descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we're descending 10,000 feet per minute."
The pilot declared an emergency after the Learjet encountered icing, moderate turbulence and heavy precipitation. At the time, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were affecting the area.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are continuing to investigate the incident.
The FAA told UNILAD: "The NTSB is in charge of the investigation and will provide all updates.”
Witnesses who saw the crash take place said there was 'debris everywhere.'
"Debris hit my house. Everything was on fire, even the road was on fire," local resident Anthony Blackmon told NBC6.
"I've always seen it on the news, never thought it would happen so close to somebody like how it happened today," he added.
Kiesha Dosanjh