Authorities have not released any names of the victims of the Learjet plane crash in Florida.
The identity of the female pilot heard communicating with air traffic controllers moments before a Learjet 60 crashed in Florida, killing all nine people aboard, has triggered intense speculation on social media. The Learjet 60, registered as N722BD, crashed in a residential area of Greenacres in Palm Beach County on November 1. the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and local authorities had not released their identities as of November 2 While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that nine people were aboard. Alexandra Dudgeon’s name began circulating after social media users linked her to Upper Jets, an aviation company, and identified her as a Learjet 60 pilot and second-in-command (SIC). A professional profile attributed to Dudgeon reportedly lists her as an LR-60 Pilot SIC. Another name being discussed online is Nathalia Filgueiras, a Florida pilot who attracted attention in 2023 after earning her private pilot’s licence while still in high school. 2023, Filgueiras was then a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton High School in Palm Beach County, according to a CBS12 report published on October 24. She had started ground school in 2020 and accumulated 88 hours of flight time, according to the report. Her father, who had started flying recreationally in 2018, also helped her learn about aviation. Some posts have cited alleged social media activity and a purported connection to the Learjet 60. The Learjet 60 was flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when the crew reported encountering icing conditions, moderate turbulence and precipitation. According to flight-tracking data and air traffic control recordings reviewed by Flightradar24, the crew requested permission to climb to 37,000 feet in search of better flying conditions. The pilot reported an accelerating descent, with the rate eventually reaching 20,000 feet per minute, alongside an overspeed condition. The aircraft descended more than 32,000 feet per minute at one point, according to Flightradar24’s tracking data, before crashing near Military Trail in Palm Beach County.
Thank you for checking in,” Dudgeon apparently released a statement.
Users also pointed to an image on her LinkedIn profile that they said showed an aircraft bearing the same registration number as the Learjet involved in the crash, N722BD. At the time, Filgueiras said she hoped to become a commercial airline pilot or fly private jets. Two names, Alexandra Dudgeon and Nathalia Filgueiras, have surfaced online, but authorities have not officially identified the aircraft’s pilots or passengers. “To everyone reaching out and posting my LinkedIn profile all over social media, I was not involved in the accident. The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. The speculation intensified after recordings of the final communications between the aircraft and air traffic control circulated online. She obtained her private pilot’s licence in September that year, before getting her driver’s licence. The School District of Palm Beach County funded her private pilot’s licence through its Aviation Academy. Her name resurfaced following the Learjet crash, with social media users claiming she was the female pilot aboard the aircraft. Shortly after receiving clearance, the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly. The final communications included a warning: “We’re going to crash into the ground. All nine people aboard died. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash, and the cause has not yet been established. neither Alexandra Dudgeon nor Nathalia Filgueiras has been officially identified as an occupant of the aircraft While the female voice in the cockpit recordings has fuelled questions about the identity of the pilot. The identities of all nine people remain unconfirmed publicly. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
A female voice can be heard reporting icing conditions and moderate turbulence before the situation deteriorates rapidly and the crew declares an emergency. What happened in the final moments before the Learjet crash?