Nathalia Gadelha, the 20-year-old co-pilot who died in Sunday’s plane crash in Palm Beach County, reportedly sent her boyfriend a final text shortly before the aircraft went down.
According to The New York Post, Gadelha’s stepfather, Thiago Cortelet, said he believed she sent the message at approximately 12:40 p.m. ET, around 10 minutes before the fatal impact. The reported text read: “I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.”
Gadelha’s boyfriend is also a licensed pilot. Her family said she earned her pilot’s license at 17 while still in high school and had accumulated more than 1,300 hours of flight experience by the time of her death.
Gadelha was assisting the aircraft’s captain, Jeff Gregory, when the plane nosedived and crashed in West Palm Beach. All nine people aboard were killed, including Gregory, 44-year-old Austin entrepreneur Adam Robinson, Robinson’s wife Helen, their two children and two close friends.
Dispatch audio captured Gadelha saying, “Holy f***, we’re out of time,” while a man believed to be Gregory recited the Lord’s Prayer.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that investigators believe the aircraft was breaking apart before it struck the ground. The agency also said the jet experienced turbulence and icing.
Sources: TMZ.