Chris Kirk, a veteran flight instructor who mentored 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras, has spoken publicly about her extraordinary talent in a Facebook tribute posted Wednesday.
Kirk, who spent four decades teaching pilots, wrote that Filgueiras had accumulated fewer than 1,100 flight hours when she took her Learjet type rating exam, which she “absolutely aced.” The examiner, he noted, assumed she possessed roughly 5,000 hours of experience. The pilot-in-command type rating certifies a pilot to legally serve as captain or sole operator of a specific aircraft model.
“That young lady was born to fly!” Kirk wrote. “Without a doubt the most naturally gifted pilot I have ever taught.”
Kirk recalled giving Filgueiras opportunities to fly diverse aircraft, including tailwheel planes and the caravan. During her spin endorsement for her Certified Flight Instructor license, he wrote, they completed so many spins that he grew nauseous. He contrasted her with other trainees who “only wanted to become airline pilots, without the passion for flying,” noting that Filgueiras was different. “She was hugely PASSIONATE about flying!!!” he added.
“There was not a check ride that the examiner was not blown away!” Kirk continued.
He concluded his post: “I pray that she continues to fly amongst the clouds in heaven.”
Filgueiras died Monday when the Learjet 60 she was co-piloting crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board. She was flying alongside Jeff Gregory, 55. The aircraft had departed Austin, Texas, bound for the Bahamas.
Cockpit audio captured her final exchanges with air traffic control. She first reported “moderate turbulence,” then declared: “Mayday mayday… We’re descending 10,000ft per minute.” Seconds later, she transmitted: “Declaring emergency, declaring emergency, we are in an overspeed condition.” When the controller responded, “I’m here with you, talk to me,” she answered: “We are descending 22,000ft, and we are banking 60 degrees.” Her final words were “We’re out of time.”
Her family said that she texted her boyfriend, Justin, shortly before impact: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has identified severe weather as a “significant factor” in the crash, and officials noted that part of the jet appeared to have broken off before impact. Aviation experts have pointed to heavy ice accumulation, extreme turbulence, and possible mid-air structural failure as contributing elements. The crash left a massive crater in a roadway with debris scattered across half a mile.
Among the deceased were entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, founder of tech company Retention, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, their toddlers Emma and Charlie, the family’s nanny Anita Maria Cetina, and couple Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr. The Robinson-Sharp family was traveling for Robinson’s birthday. In a joint statement, relatives remembered Robinson and Sharp as “devoted parents” whose children “were the light of their lives,” adding that “Helen and Adam were the love affair that will last forever.”
Federal authorities continue investigating the crash, and no official definitive cause has yet been determined.