Learjet Co-Pilot Nathalia Filgueiras Texted Boyfriend 'I've Got Turbulence, I've Got Ice' Before Florida Crash

Learjet co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, texted her boyfriend 'I've got turbulence, I've got ice' shortly before a Florida crash killed all nine people aboard, her stepfather said. Investigators have since disclosed preliminary indications that the aircraft began breaking apart before impact.

Thiago Corteleti recalled the message being sent at approximately 12.40pm local time on Sunday, 1 November, several minutes before the aircraft's final climb and descent. The Bahamas-bound Learjet crashed in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, at around 12.50pm, bringing an emergency response to a residential neighbourhood.

Investigators Examine Signs of Learjet Breakup

National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said on Monday that investigators had indications the aircraft was breaking apart before it struck the ground. He said components might be found some distance from the main crash site as investigators examined the wreckage and surrounding area.

'We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact,' Chapman said during a briefing on the investigation. The preliminary observation did not establish why parts apparently separated or explain what caused the Learjet to enter its rapid descent.

Learjet Crew Described Manageable Ice

The Learjet 60 was travelling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when its crew described icing and turbulence. 'We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,' a pilot told air traffic controllers in recordings captured by LiveATC.

After asking for a better ride, the crew reported precipitation and requested permission to climb from 35,000 feet to 37,000 feet. A pilot subsequently declared an emergency and described descending at 20,000 feet per minute, although it remains unclear which pilot was speaking.

Flight Tracking Shows Learjet's Rapid Descent

Flightradar24's analysis of tracking data and radio recordings places a brief climb at approximately 12.48pm, followed by a steep, right-hand descent. It recorded a reported vertical rate exceeding 32,000 feet per minute, with the last received altitude reading showing 8,750 feet at 12.49pm.

Those tracking values are not flight-recorder measurements, and the vertical-rate figure should not be treated as an independently established maximum descent rate or equated with the pilot's radioed estimate. The service's approximate 12.49pm crash time is consistent with the Federal Aviation Administration's rounded 12.50pm account.

Family Recounts Nathalia Filgueiras's Message

Corteleti said Filgueiras sent the text to her boyfriend, who is also a pilot, at around 12.40pm, shortly before the crash. The message has not been independently verified, and his account does not make clear whether she sent it before or after the crew spoke to air traffic controllers about the conditions.

Filgueiras earned her private pilot's licence in 2023, aged 17, while attending West Boca Raton Community High School, and her family put her subsequent experience at approximately 1,300 flight hours. Her licence included a rating allowing her to fly that Learjet model, but not to serve as pilot in command.

Florida Crash Disrupted Nearby Community

The aircraft, registration N722BD, was registered to LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. Published accounts identified Upper Jet as Filgueiras's employer, while the NTSB identified Aurora Aviation, doing business as Upper Jet, as the aircraft's operator. Registered ownership and a crew member's employment do not, by themselves, establish which company operated a particular flight, and those relationships should not be conflated.

Officials initially estimated that approximately 600 residents of a nearby mobile-home community could require relocation as the emergency response brought road closures and disruption to surrounding businesses. No ground injuries were initially reported, and the NTSB investigation had not established the cause of the crash.