The 20-year-old copilot of a private jet that crashed into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday, killing all nine people aboard, has been identified as an aspiring commercial airline pilot who earned her wings before obtaining her driver’s license, according to a report.
Nathalia Gadelha’s mother and stepfather told the New York Post that she was serving as copilot on the Learjet 60 when it crashed into a residential area of Palm Beach County during a flight from Texas to the Bahamas.
Gadelha, who was raised in Palm Beach County, attracted attention in 2023 after earning her private pilot’s license at age 17 while attending West Boca Raton High School.
Nathalia Gadelha appears in an interview with WPEC, a West Palm Beach, Florida, news outlet, that aired Oct. 24, 2023. (WPEC)
“I definitely do brag because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,'” she told local station CBS12 at the time.
Nathalia Gadelha stands outside a small aircraft in a photo posted to social media on Oct. 3, 2024. (Threads/itsnatfilg)
Gadelha began flight lessons in 2020 and also received instruction from her father, who learned to fly recreationally in 2018, according to the outlet’s 2023 report.
That report said she logged 88 hours of flight time while working toward her private pilot’s license through the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy, which covered the cost of her training.
Nathalia Gadelha is shown in a cockpit in a social media photo dated Nov. 3, 2025. (Threads/itsnatfilg)
She later graduated from American Flyers, a flight school headquartered in Addison, Texas, with a location in Pompano Beach, Florida, the Post reported.
Gadelha told CBS12 that her goal was to become a commercial airline pilot.
Nathalia Gadelha is shown in an aircraft cockpit in a social media photo dated April 10, 2025. (Threads/itsnatfilg)
In a recent social media post cited by the Post, Gadelha shared a video of herself flying with her boyfriend, Justin, and highlighted their accomplishments in aviation despite their young ages.
“How often do you see 2 pilots under 21 with a commercial, multi-engine, instrument, CFI/CFI-I,” she wrote, referencing multiple aviation certifications and flight-instructor ratings.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Learjet 60 departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas before crashing near Cresthaven, Florida, at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday.
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A Learjet 60 crashed into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday afternoon, producing a massive fireball about nine miles from Mar-a-Lago. (Aki Kuusisto via Storyful)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed Sunday afternoon that all nine people aboard the aircraft were killed.
Emergency crews closed Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North and urged the public to stay away as flames consumed the wreckage. (Aki Kuusisto via Storyful)
Recordings of air traffic control communications captured by LiveATC.net show that the flight crew reported ice buildup and turbulence before the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly, according to The Associated Press.
Flames rise after an aircraft incident in Palm Beach County, Florida. (Eduin Cruz/via Reuters)
“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” one of the pilots told controllers.
The crew then requested clearance to climb another 2,000 feet before declaring an emergency as the aircraft began plunging toward the ground.
“We’re descending 8,000 — mayday, mayday — we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” a pilot said over the radio, according to the AP.
“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot later reported before warning, “We’re going to crash into the ground.”
A Learjet 60 crashed into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday afternoon. (Palm Beach County Fire Rescue)
Dashcam video captured the jet diving nose-first into the neighborhood, as News Outlet previously reported.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the crash “cataclysmic.”
Local officials said the crash also prompted the evacuation of about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Its cause remains undetermined, and NTSB officials are expected to release an update Monday.
