CO-PILOT IN PALM BEACH LEARJET CRASH WAS 20 YEARS OLD
The co-pilot killed in the Palm Beach plane crash has been identified by her mother and stepfather as Nathalia Gadelha, a 20-year-old who earned her pilot’s license at 17. She was one of nine people who died on November 1, 2026, when a Learjet 60 went into a nosedive and burst into flames in Palm Beach County, according to TMZ, which cited the New York Post.
Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County. She earned her private pilot’s license while attending West Boca Raton High School, reportedly before she had a driver’s license, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
She started flight lessons in 2020 and learned from her father. Her training was paid for through her school district’s Aviation Academy, and she went on to graduate from American Flyers flight school. Her goal was to become a commercial airline pilot.
In a 2023 interview, Gadelha said she had already logged 88 hours in the air. She later shared that she and her boyfriend had earned multiple aviation qualifications before turning 21, TMZ reported.
What happened to the jet
The Learjet was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas. NBC 6 Miami reported the destination was North Eleuthera Airport.
Flight data showed the plane dropping at more than 20,000 feet per minute, TMZ reported. It hit the ground at about 12:50 p.m. near a mobile home community in the Greenacres area, close to Military Trail and Cresthaven Boulevard, and exploded into a huge fireball that engulfed the roadside.
According to NBC 6 Miami, citing the Associated Press, the pilots had reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and asked to climb 2,000 feet before the crash. Audio of the crew’s exchange with air traffic control was released after the crash, and we covered it in our earlier report on the Florida Learjet crash.
All nine people on board died.
Investigation under way
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with help from the FAA. The NTSB began its on-scene work in Greenacres on November 2, 2026, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Sean Duffy said in a social media statement, as reported by NBC 6 Miami: “The FAA is sending a team to the scene to support the NTSB’s investigation,”
