One of the pilots who died in a fiery private jet crash that killed nine people in South Florida on Nov. 1 was identified by her mother as 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, according to reports.
Camila Corteleti said her daughter had logged more than 1,300 hours of flight time and earned her pilot’s license at 17, the New York Times and the New York Post reported. She said her daughter worked for Upper Jets, a private charter firm based in Fort Lauderdale.
Corteleti also said her daughter had been working for the company for nine months at the time of her death.
According to records reviewed by USA TODAY, Filgueiras lived in Boca Raton.
The aircraft, a Learjet 60 en route to the Bahamas from Austin, crashed around 12:50 p.m. ET Nov. 1 in Palm Beach
County, killing all nine people onboard.
No one on the ground was hurt or injured, officials said.
USA TODAY has reached out to Filguerias and Upper Jets.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the private jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it crashed.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide updates.
Medical examiner working release official identities
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office on Nov. 2 told USA TODAY it was working to officially identify all nine people on board.
As of late morning, no identifications of the crew or its passengers had yet been made, the office’s District Medical Examiner Catherine R. Miller told USA TODAY.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were occurring in the area at the time the jet went down, forecaster AccuWeather said in a statement. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts up to 25 mph and reported a visibility of seven miles.
Moments before the crash, a person in the cockpit said the crew was "managing the ice," encountering "moderate" turbulence and seeking "better rides," according to audio posted by LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control communications.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mother identifies 20-year-old pilot killed in Florida plane crash
