Was the Florida Learjet Pilot Male or Female? Pilot's Identity Is Revealed

Even before the crash was investigated, people were already blaming a young female pilot for the tragedy. TMZ has revealed that Jeff Gregory, 55, was piloting the Learjet alongside the 20-year-old co-pilot, according to a family member. After recordings of the final air traffic control calls from Sunday’s fatal Florida crash began circulating, the young woman heard on the frantic calls became a target . Her name was Nathalia Filgueiras, and almost immediately, her voice, her age, and her gender were treated as evidence of incompetence. She was blamed for the crash, even though the recording alone could not establish who was at the controls or what caused the emergency. Tragically, nine people died in this crash . Their families are trying to absorb an unimaginable loss. Nathalia’s family should not also have to watch strangers turn their daughter’s life into an argument about whether women belong in a cockpit. What We Know About Her Role Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20, was the Learjet 60’s co-pilot, according to her family. The aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it crashed in Palm Beach County on November 1, killing both crew members and seven passengers. In the New York Times’ reporting, Embry-Riddle aviation expert Dr. Robert Joslin explained that two-person crews typically divide responsibilities between a pilot flying and a pilot monitoring. He assessed that the woman handling communications was almost certainly performing the monitoring role, which also includes watching instruments and supporting the pilot flying. She did what she was supposed to do. Then, once people learned Nathalia was 20, her youth became another reason to blame her for the crash. According to her family, she had earned her private pilot’s license at 17 and accumulated approximately 1,300 flight hours. She had also worked as a flight instructor and hoped eventually to become an airline pilot. Those accomplishments deserve to be understood in their own right. Earning a pilot’s license while still in high school takes study, training, and persistence. Continuing into professional flying requires further work. Their Families Deserve Better It is reasonable to want answers after a disaster. Investigators will examine the weather, the aircraft, and the crew’s decisions. That work matters to every family affected. Nathalia’s family should be remembering everything she accomplished in her 20 years, without having to defend her against strangers who heard a woman on the radio and decided she was responsible. Nathalia did not deserve the rush to blame her, and identifying the captain should not turn him into the next target either. Nine people lost their lives, and every family affected deserves compassion as they grieve.