GREENACRES, Fla. — A young aviator who earned her pilot’s wings before her driver’s license has been identified by family members as the co-pilot killed in Sunday’s catastrophic Learjet 60 crash in Palm Beach County.
Nathalia Gadelha, 20, was among nine people aboard the twin-engine business jet when it went down in Greenacres, Florida. Authorities have confirmed that all nine occupants perished in the crash.
Gadelha, who grew up in Palm Beach County, discovered her passion for flight early in life. As a senior at West Boca Raton High School, she participated in the Palm Beach County School District’s Aviation Academy program, which funded her flight training. In October 2023, at just 17 years old, before she had even obtained a driver’s license, she successfully earned her private pilot license.
Following high school, Gadelha continued her flight education with American Flyers, a flight school headquartered in Addison, Texas, with a training location in nearby Pompano Beach, Florida. Friends and mentors remembered her as a dedicated aviator whose ultimate dream was to command commercial airliners for a major carrier.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a full investigation into the crash. Federal investigators have not yet officially released the identities or qualifications of the flight crew, nor have they confirmed which pilot was at the controls at the time of the incident.
NTSB investigators remain on site in Greenacres examining the wreckage, weather conditions, and radar data to determine the cause of the tragic accident.
