Nathalia Gadelha, a young aviator who earned her private pilot’s license before finishing high school, has been identified by her family as the co-pilot of a Learjet that crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Her mother, Camila, and her stepfather confirmed her identity to the New York Post. Gadelha was 20. The Learjet 60 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed on Sunday, November 1. Authorities reported that all nine people aboard died.

A passion for aviation that began early

Gadelha grew up in Palm Beach County and began taking flying lessons in 2020. Her father, who had taken up flying recreationally in 2018, also helped introduce her to aviation.

By October 2023, she had earned her private pilot’s license at 17 while attending West Boca Raton High School. Her achievement attracted local media attention, partly because she could fly an aircraft before she had a driver’s license.

In an interview with CBS12 at the time, Gadelha spoke enthusiastically about reaching that milestone. She had accumulated 88 hours of flight experience and passed her aviation knowledge test. According to the supplied reporting, the Palm Beach County School District’s Aviation Academy covered the cost of her license.

She aimed to become a commercial airline pilot. She later graduated from American Flyers, a flight school in Pompano Beach.

Gadelha continued sharing her enthusiasm for flying on social media. In a recent video featuring her boyfriend, Justin, she described the aviation qualifications they had both earned before turning 21, including commercial and flight-instructor credentials.

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Investigation into the crash continues.

The aircraft went down near a busy roadway in Palm Beach County shortly before 1 p.m. Federal investigators are examining the circumstances, with the National Transportation Safety Board leading the investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration assisting.

The cause has not been established. Gadelha’s identification in the reporting comes from her family’s statements to the New York Post.