The final moments aboard the doomed Learjet 60 were captured in a chilling cockpit recording as the aircraft plunged thousands of feet toward a Florida neighborhood on Sunday, November 1.
Among the voices heard in the audio was that of 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, who could be heard shouting, “Look outside.”
While investigators continue to piece together what caused the aircraft to lose control, neuroscientist Derek Van Schaik has offered a possible explanation for why the young aviator’s microphone remained on.
Highlights
- Neuroscientist Derek Van Schaik offered possible explanations for why Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras's microphone remained on during the emergency.
- Investigators also revealed that several pieces of the Learjet's left elevator had separated before impact, raising new questions about the crash.
- The co-pilot had earned her pilot's license at just 17 and hoped to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot.
“This is what makes this crash so unique,” he said while revealing his observations.
An expert explained possible reasons behind the Learjet co-pilot’s open microphone
Van Schaik holds master’s degrees in psychology and forensic psychology, among other qualifications.
He runs an eponymous YouTube channel with over 650K subscribers, where he posts videos featuring psychological commentary and opinions on various subjects, ranging from celebrities to tragic events.
In a video dated Wednesday, November 4, Van Schaik played a snippet of Filgueiras' final moments before the crash, focusing on why the co-pilot may have continued transmitting audio to air traffic control.
The recording captured Filgueiras engaged in a back-and-forth conversation with her captain, while other people aboard could also be heard in the background.
Van Schaik pointed out that such exchanges would ordinarily only be available through the aircraft's flight voice recorder, making this particular recording unusual.
“First, it is interesting that Nathalia is communicating a flight deck conversation to ATC,” he explained.
He then noted that the audio became publicly accessible because Filgueiras appeared to have kept the “push-to-talk button” pressed.
The neuroscientist subsequently explored why she might have continued holding it during the emergency, suggesting that extreme stress could have affected her awareness of the action.
“Under intense stress, our attention narrows, making us less aware of less significant actions like maintaining our grip,” Van Schaik explained.
He also offered another possibility, suggesting that Filgueiras may have intentionally continued transmitting in the hope that air traffic control could somehow assist the crew.
Alternatively, she might have subconsciously recognized the importance of leaving a record of what was happening inside the aircraft.
Revisiting the recording, Van Schaik also pointed to the moment when the co-pilot's voice appeared to turn into a scream as the situation became increasingly desperate.
He highlighted the responsibility weighing on both crew members, who had been entrusted with the safety of seven passengers, including two very young children.
Van Schaik described the emotional burden of potentially realizing that everyone aboard was in grave danger as "unbearably heavy."
He also suggested that the pilots may have met the passengers before departure, potentially making the situation even more difficult.
All nine people aboard the Learjet lost their lives in the tragedy.
New crash findings reveal several plane components had separated before impact
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shared a significant development in its investigation during a Tuesday press conference.
NTSB spokesperson Thomas B. Chapman revealed that most of the aircraft's left elevator had been recovered in three pieces.
The components were found scattered as far as 3.8 miles from the crash site, raising important questions about how they became detached from the aircraft.
Chapman explained that the discovery had changed the direction of certain aspects of the investigation.
“It tells us that at least some components, some pieces of the aircraft, important pieces of the aircraft separated before impact,” he said.
However, authorities have not established whether the missing component contributed to the aircraft losing control or whether it separated because of the forces acting on the jet.
Determining the circumstances surrounding the separation is “going to take some more analysis,” Chapman said.
According to Chapman, the elevator helps control an aircraft's pitch, determining whether its nose moves up or down.
He further noted that the elevator's effectiveness could have been limited even if it had remained attached, given the aircraft's speed during the emergency.
Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras’s experience and ambitions came under scrutiny following the crash
Filgueiras was a native of Palm Beach County and had secured her pilot's license at just 17 years old.
During an interview with CBS 12 in October 2023, the West Boca Raton High School senior joked about achieving the feat at such a young age.
“I definitely do brag, because people say, ‘Oh, you can’t drive,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I can fly,” she said.
Filgueiras shared that she started taking flying lessons in 2022, with her father also helping teach her after taking up aviation as a hobby in 2018.
She reportedly accumulated 88 hours of flight time after beginning ground school and passing the necessary knowledge test.
Speaking about her decision to pursue aviation, she said, “I like being different than everyone, so to me, I think it's cool.”
Filgueiras's ambitions extended beyond obtaining her initial license, as she hoped to eventually become a commercial airline pilot.
Following the crash, however, one social media user questioned whether someone so young “could have had the experience to manage an emergency involving a high-performance private jet.”
“I'd turn around and march in the opposite direction if I saw a 20-year-old was the co-pilot of a long-distance trip I'd booked, even if she was just a co-pilot,” another remarked.
Hundreds of residents were displaced as a result of the crash, while infrastructure repairs could take at least 30 days
Wreckage from the Learjet blocked the entrance to a mobile home park, leaving approximately 600 residents in need of evacuation.
Joel Flores, Palm Beach County Commissioner for District 3, said the displaced residents were being sent to two separate shelters in the county.
Authorities also said it would take at least a month to repair the damage to local infrastructure, including power and water lines.
Only then could the affected roads reopen.
"I can't even imagine what they were feeling and thinking," a netizen said about the Learjet 60 victims
