Florida Learjet pilot identified as 20-year-old woman who got her pilot’s licence before she could drive

Nathalia Gadelha was one of the pilots aboard a Learjet 60 that crashed near Cresthaven, Florida, on Sunday, November 1, her family told the New York Post. The aircraft had departed Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people aboard died. Raised in Palm Beach County, Gadelha began flight lessons in 2020 with encouragement from her father and earned her private pilot’s license at 17 in 2023—a milestone that brought her local attention.

Recordings released after the crash reportedly captured a female voice warning of rapid descent and a steep bank. Another voice appeared to recite the Lord’s Prayer, though the speaker’s identity has not been independently established. Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths on the ground. The other victims had not yet been publicly identified, leaving more families’ losses still unnamed in the public account.