'Top of Her Class': Family Defends 20-Year-Old Learjet Co-Pilot Amid Questions Over Qualifications

The family of 20-year-old Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras have moved to defend her professional record, insisting the 'top of her class' aviator was fully qualified for the Florida flight that ended in a crash killing all nine people on board.

Speaking at a news conference in Coral Gables on Friday 6 November, her father, fellow pilot Allan Filgueiras, and the family's lawyer, Stuart Grossman, set out her credentials in detail as questions mounted online over her age and experience. The Learjet 60 went down on Sunday 1 November, with all passengers and crew killed.

Mr Grossman said Ms Filgueiras had logged more than 1,300 flight hours and held commercial and Learjet-specific qualifications. 'She was at the top of her class in everything that she did, and she was perfectly qualified to be the co-pilot on this flight, despite her tender years,' he said.

Young Co-Pilot's Record Under Scrutiny

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and has not announced a probable cause. It has said it is examining the possible role of ice accumulation and turbulence, and whether human error played any part, and has warned the inquiry will take time.

The jet, registered N722BD, was flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The NTSB has identified Aurora Aviation, trading as Upper Jet, as the operator. Reports say the pilot, Jeff Gregory, 55, was also killed.

Online comments had questioned whether someone so young should have been in the right-hand seat of a Learjet 60. The family argue that such speculation ignores her training record and the certification required to sit in that cockpit.

Final Mayday Calls Reveal Learjet Co-Pilot's Composure

Air traffic control recordings capture Ms Filgueiras reporting ice and turbulence and telling controllers the aircraft was being thrown around by hundreds of feet at a time. She then declared an emergency as the situation deteriorated.

'Mayday, Mayday, we're descending 10,000 feet per minute!' she said in one transmission. In another, she reported an overspeed warning and a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute.

Mr Filgueiras said he had replayed the calls many times. 'I did listen to [her radio transmissions] many times, trying to find a clue in my head how that happened. And wow, she's tough,' he said. He described her as his 'soulmate' and said he wished he could have been beside her.

Training Record of 'Top of Her Class' Learjet Co-Pilot

Chris Kirk, who trained her on the type, said that when she took her check ride in March, the examiner assumed she had more than 5,000 hours, almost four times her actual total, because of her handling and judgement.

John Cox, a retired airline captain and aviation consultant, said that reaching the seat at 20 would have required her to impress a demanding operator. 'To be in the right seat of a Lear 60, she had to impress somebody, because that's a good ride,' he said.

Ms Filgueiras earned her private pilot's licence at 17. Her licence included a rating to fly the Learjet 60, but not to act as pilot in command, according to published reports.

Mr Filgueiras said he first took her flying when she was 12. He recalled her reaction when she was first paid to fly: 'I would pay for this, but they're actually paying me.'