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Brazilian co-pilot's family speaks after fatal Florida Learjet crash

The Brazilian report combines the family's account of Nathalia Gadelha's flight experience with emergency radio audio and analysis of the jet's steep descent.

Channel: CNN Brasil ·

BrazilStory of November 4, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Saiba tudo sobre o acidente que matou nove pessoas nos Estados Unidos | CNN BRASIL

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

1:02The report says the pilot encountered storms and reported ice accumulation before the crash.
1:44Dashcam footage shows the impact; subsequent witness recordings show fire and a crater in the roadway.
2:56Mary Schiavo uses a model aircraft to explain why she describes the steep descent as uncontrolled.
3:29Emergency radio audio captures a mayday call and the pilot reporting a rapid descent.
4:20The closing segment identifies the Brazilian co-pilot and presents her family's account of her training and experience.

Nathalia Gadelha had trained at American Flyers and accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours, her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, says. The young co-pilot, born in Florida to a Brazilian family, was among nine people killed when a Learjet 60 crashed in a Palm Beach County residential area on November 1.

Brazil's CNN Brasil brings her family's account into its report, "Saiba tudo sobre o acidente que matou nove pessoas nos Estados Unidos | CNN BRASIL," meaning "What to know about the accident that killed nine people in the United States." The closing segment also conveys the family's statement that she did not have decision-making authority on the flight.

The report reconstructs the emergency through radio communications, dashcam footage and witness recordings. It says the pilot reported ice accumulation and moderate turbulence before the crash, describing substantial jolts in altitude. The emergency audio later captures a mayday call and a report that the aircraft was descending at 10,000 feet per minute.

Dashcam footage shows the aircraft striking the roadway and an explosion. Recordings made nearby show flames and a large crater. According to county commissioner Joel Flores, cited in the report's description, the impact occurred near the entrance to a mobile-home community.

Using a miniature aircraft, aviation analyst Mary Schiavo demonstrates the unusually steep descent and describes it as uncontrolled. The segment also includes Ron DeSantis's remarks about the scale of the impact.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, the report says. The weather reports and emergency call describe conditions the crew encountered; they do not establish what caused the crash.