A 20-year-old pilot who died in a fiery blaze after a jet nosedived in Florida over the weekend was remembered as a talented aviator who 'aced' her flight exams.
Nathalia Filgueiras died on Sunday after the Learjet she was co-piloting with Jeff Gregory, 55, lost control and plummeted tens of thousands of feet into the ground near West Palm Beach.
The jet exploded into a giant fireball, killing all nine souls on board. It left behind a massive crater in the roadway and a half-mile debris field. Federal authorities are investigating the crash.
But as her friends and family grapple with the young woman's untimely death, her former flight instructor and mentor, Chris Kirk, shared how Filgueiras was 'without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught, and I have been teaching for 40 years.
'That young lady was born to fly!' he posted on Facebook on Thursday. 'There was not a check ride that the examiner was not blown away.'
Kirk then shared how when Filgueiras did her rating to pilot a Learjet, she had less than 1,100 hours 'and she absolutely aced the [Pilot-in-Command] type rating, and the examiner thought she had about 5,000 hours.'
The Pilot-in-Command type rating is a certification added to a pilot's license that legally qualifies them to act as the captain or sole pilot of a specific aircraft type.
Kirk concluded his post on Thursday by describing how Filgueiras was different from many of the other students he taught.
Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, died on Sunday after the Learjet she was co-piloting with Jeff Gregory, 55, lost control and nosedived tens of thousands of feet into the ground near West Palm Beach, Florida (Source: Nathalia Filgueiras/Threads)
Chris Kirk, Filgueiras' former flight instructor, remembered her as a talented aviator who 'aced' her flight exams. Source: Chris Kirk/Facebook
'I am saddened because so many of the pilots in training today never wanted to become pilots and only wanted to become airline pilots!' he said.
'As I did check rides, I saw this time and time again! They had no passion for flying. They only wanted to get to the airlines to make the big money.'
But, Kirk said: 'Nathalia was PASSIONATE about flying!!! She was a 100 percent natural born pilot!!!
'I pray that she continues to fly amongst the clouds in heaven,' the grieving instructor wrote. 'May she rest in peace and God watch over her.'
Filgueiras was co-piloting the Learjet 60 from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas when she was heard in distressing cockpit audio telling air traffic control how the plane was going down.
At first, she said there was 'moderate turbulence.'
But soon, her tone became panicked as she realized the aircraft was in trouble.
'Seven two two bravo delta, we're descending 8,000... mayday mayday... we're descending 10,000ft per minute,' she said.
The crashed killed all nine souls on board and is being investigated by federal authorities
It left behind a massive crater in a Florida roadway, with debris scattered for half a mile
Seconds later, she screamed: 'Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.'
Her voice grew even more panicked as she said: 'Descending 20,000ft per minute... we're going to crash into the ground.'
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'I'm here with you, talk to me,' the air traffic controller responded.
Filgueiras said: 'We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.'
'We're out of time,' Filgueiras then screamed in a final transmission.
The Daily Mail has chosen not to publish the final seconds of audio, which are extremely distressing.
Filgueiras had also been messaging her fellow pilot boyfriend about facing heavy weather in the minutes before the plane crashed.
Her family told the New York Post that before the crash, Filgueiras texted her boyfriend Justin: 'I've got turbulence, I've got ice.'
Harrowing footage then showed the Learjet hitting the road at what some experts say was near-supersonic speed.
Tech tycoon, Adam Robinson, 45, and his 40-year-old wife, Helen Sharp, were aboard the jet with their toddlers, Emma and Charlie when it crashed (Source: Facebook)
They were traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina (left), and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr (right) (Source: Facebook)
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board now say they believe severe weather played a 'significant factor' in the disaster and that part of the jet appeared to have broken off in the moments before the plane slammed into a Florida roadway, leaving behind a massive crater.
All nine people on board were pronounced dead, including Filgueiras and Gregory, as well as tech tycoon, Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, and their toddlers, Emma and Charlie.
The family of four was traveling with their nanny, Anita Maria Cetina, and another couple, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, for Robinson's birthday.
In a joint statement from the victims' families, Robinson and Sharp were remembered as 'devoted parents' whose two children 'were the light of their lives.'
'Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever,' the statement said.
'Their warmth, generosity and gift for making people feel welcome touched so many lives. Their loss will be felt deeply by all those who loved them and who they loved in return.'
The statement continued: 'Charmi and Rachel were full of joy and adventure. They loved their people fiercely, fully and without hesitation. From the moment they met, they were all in on each other and the life they were building. They are deeply loved, and we will miss them endlessly.
'Anita Maria cared for Emma and Charlie with tenderness and devotion, and she was truly part of the family. She showed us a legacy of unconditional love and devotion.'
Robinson was an entrepreneur who founded the tech company Retention and regularly gave interviews about building a successful start-up.
Helen ran a communications firm called Influential PR. She also owned a successful, Aspen-based pottery studio called Helen Sharp Ceramics.
'On behalf of friends and family, it is with a heavy heart that we share that our dearest Helen was taken from us too soon,' read a separate statement from her family.
'To know Helen was to love her. The number of people grieving Helen and Adam is a testament to how many people were lucky enough to have them in their lives.'
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