Dad of 20-year-old co-pilot in Florida jet crash says her final radio calls showed ‘she’s tough’

A father is defending the skill and reputation of his 20-year-old daughter, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, who died with eight others when a Learjet crashed in Florida. Listening repeatedly to her final radio calls, he said he was proud of how calmly she reported the worsening emergency and continued communicating as the aircraft descended.

Filgueiras reported ice, turbulence and an overspeed condition, saying the plane was descending at 20,000 feet per minute. She had more than 1,300 flying hours and was certified to serve as a Learjet co-pilot; the captain is believed to have been at the controls in the final minutes. Investigators have not yet established the cause, and parts of the aircraft’s tail were found more than a mile from the crash site.