Learjet Co-Pilot in Fatal Florida Crash Was 20

A Learjet 60 flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas went into a steep nosedive and crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon. The co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha, was 20 and did not survive. Her mother, Camila, and her stepfather confirmed her identity to the New York Post.

Local media report that Gadelha earned her private pilot's license in October 2023, at 17, before she had her driver's license. She was a senior at West Boca Raton High School with 88 hours of flight time, and the School District of Palm Beach County's Aviation Academy paid for the license. She told people she wanted to fly for a commercial airline.

She did it the old-fashioned way, with hard work, a plan, and a community willing to invest in her. The cause of the crash has not been reported yet. Our prayers are with her family and friends tonight.