NASA chief Jared Isaacman has condemned online trolls who blamed a 20-year-old co-pilot for the deadly Learjet crash that killed nine people in Florida on Sunday.
Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut who once commanded one of the world’s largest privately owned fighter-jet fleets, criticized armchair aviation experts Monday for targeting Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, the young co-pilot who died in the fiery crash near Palm Beach.
“I feel compelled to post after seeing commentary about the Lear 60 crash, from missile strikes to DEI to critiquing this poor woman’s final radio calls … That last part is what I find most troubling,” Isaacman wrote on X.
“She was doing her job, communicating with ATC right to the end in a terrifying situation,” he added.
The aviation enthusiast, who founded Draken in 2011 and sold the company in 2019, warned that internet commentators were drawing premature conclusions before investigators had established what caused the Bombardier Learjet 60 to crash.
The aircraft was flying at approximately 35,000 feet through freezing, stormy conditions when Filgueiras reported icing and turbulence.
Filgueiras earned her pilot’s license while still in high school and had logged roughly 1,800 hours of flight time. Experts told The Post that she was likely handling communications while veteran pilot Captain Jeff Gregory controlled the aircraft.
She requested permission to climb above the storm before issuing an urgent mayday call, saying the aircraft was rapidly descending, according to air traffic control audio.
Filgueiras continued relaying the plane’s speed and altitude to ATC until the final moments, when she shouted, “Holy f—k … We’re out of time!” The transmission then went silent.
Investigators said the aircraft appeared to break apart before hitting the ground, scattering debris across a half-mile area near a trailer park.
“I understand the public interest given the footage and audio. But you do not know the aircraft’s maintenance history, whether there was a structural failure, if any failure was induced by turbulence, overspeed, or overcontrol, or everything happening in that cockpit,” Isaacman wrote.
Isaacman’s assessment carries considerable weight in aviation circles.
Before becoming NASA’s top official, he founded Draken International, which built a vast fleet of privately owned military fighter jets used to train US and allied pilots.
He is also an experienced pilot and commercial astronaut who personally commanded two private space missions.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
