Learjet pilot lost 20,000 feet per minute before crash in Greenacres

The pilot radioed that the jet was descending 20,000 feet per minute just moments before the aircraft hit the ground in Greenacres, Florida. All nine people on board died in the crash on Sunday afternoon. The business jet, which was heading to the Bahamas, exploded into a ball of flames and left a crater near the road.

The plane originated at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas. It was flying east at 35,000 feet when the pilot began reporting problems to air traffic control. Rain was falling heavily in the region at the time. The pilot stated that light, clear ice was accumulating on the aircraft and that turbulence was jolting the plane by as much as 700 feet. The pilot initially described the ice as manageable but quickly requested permission to climb 2,000 feet. That request was followed by an emergency declaration as the jet lost altitude rapidly.

Camila Corteleti identified her daughter, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, as one of the pilots. Nathalia was 20 years old. She earned her pilot's license in 2023 while she was a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida. Her license indicated she had the rating to fly that model of Learjet, but it did not authorize her to be in command of the flight. Her father, Allan Filgueiras, told the Associated Press he was not prepared to speak about the crash. Authorities have not released the names of the other seven victims.

Anthony Blackmon, a resident who lives near the crash site, described the scene to NBC affiliate WTVJ. He said debris was everywhere and hit his house. Blackmon noted that everything was on fire, including the road. He said he had always seen plane crashes on the news but never thought one would happen so close to him. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash. He said it looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road. DeSantis reported no immediate injuries or deaths among people on the ground.

Palm Beach County authorities evacuated about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community. Thick black smoke engulfed the crash site, and flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater. Passersby recorded video of the jet banking sharply to the right before it slammed into the ground and exploded. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. NTSB officials plan to hold a news conference in West Palm Beach on Monday afternoon. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.