Learjet Co-Pilot, 20, Killed in Florida Crash Identified — as Cause of Tragedy 8 Miles From Trump's Mar-a-Lago Remains a Mystery
The co-pilot of a horrific plane crash in Florida has been identified.
Nov. 2 2026, Published 11:45 a.m. ET
The co-pilot of a private plane who can be heard chillingly describing the terrifying moments before the aircraft fell from the sky over Florida and exploded in a massive fireball, was a 20-year-old woman who got her pilot license while still in high school, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Nathalia Gadelha's family confirmed she and eight other people on board the Learjet 60 were killed when the plane crashed in Palm Beach County, just miles away from President Trump's Florida home.
Nathalia Gadelha Started Taking Pilot Lessons in 2020
Nathalia Gadelha, 20, received her pilot's license in 2023.
Gadelha's mother, Camila, and her stepfather told an outlet that she was the co-pilot on the flight, which was headed from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it entered a steep nosedive on Sunday, November 1.
Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County, and previously said she began pilot lessons in 2020, initially learning from her father, who himself had been flying since 2018.
Her school district established an aviation academy in 2023, and paid for Gadelha's pilot's license when she was just 17 years old. At the time, she joked to a local CBS affiliate that she got her pilot's license before her driver's license.
"I definitely do brag because people say, 'Oh, you can’t drive,' and I’m like, 'Yeah, but I can fly,'" she told CBS12.
Nathalia Gadelha Dreamed of Being a Commercial Pilot
She joked she got her pilot's license before her driver's license.
In the article, Gadelha explained that she had flown every day since ground school, building 88 hours of flight time and passing the knowledge test. She said she wanted to be a commercial pilot one day.
"I like being different than everyone, so to me I think it's cool that it’s not really an opportunity," Gadelha said, justifying her goal..
"Some people think that it's weird that I can fly planes, but I can't drive a car; I mean, I can, but a lot of people think it’s funny. I think it’s funny, and I now want my (driver’s) license really bad," she added.
'We're Out of Time'
Audio from the plane reveals the final seconds of the co-pilot as it plummeted to the ground.
As Radar reported, Gadhela frantically told air traffic controllers on Sunday that the jet was "going to crash into the ground" before screaming, "We're descending 8,000 (feet). Mayday. Mayday. We're descending 10,000 feet per minute."
Seconds later, Gadhela screamed out, "Declaring emergency. We are in an overspeed condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute."
"We're going to crash into the ground."
Heartbreakingly, she then said in her final words that the jet is "descending at 22,000 feet."
"Look outside," she continued. "We're going to die. Holy f---, we're out of time."
Cause of Crash Is Under Investigation
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All nine people on board were killed in the crash.
An exact cause of the tragedy has not been established yet, but before Sunday's crash, Gadhela reported "moderate turbulence," a temperature of -47 °C, and rain.
Harrowing dashcam footage showed the jet sharply crashing to the ground and causing the massive explosion just eight miles away from Mar-a-Lago.
The impact left a massive crater in the road, but authorities said nobody on the ground was injured.
Speaking at the crash site, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "When you see that video, you know, it's a jarring thing. It was like a missile coming down and a massive explosion, debris going everywhere."
