NASA Administrator defends Learjet copilot after Florida crash

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman took to his personal social media account Nov. 2 to defend the female co-pilot of the Learjet that crashed near Palm Beach, Florida.

The private jet, bound from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, plummeted into the ground Nov. 1 near Greenacres and exploded into a fireball. All nine people onboard were killed.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were occurring in the area at the time the jet went down, forecaster AccuWeather said in a statement.

Moments before the crash, a person in the cockpit said the crew was "managing the ice," encountering "moderate" turbulence and seeking "better rides," according to audio posted by LiveATC, a website that broadcasts air traffic control communications. That dramatic audio led to significant online criticism of the 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Filgueiras, from Boca Raton. The pilot has not been identified.

"Let people investigate, learn, and share the facts," Isaacman wrote on X. "Be respectful to those who perished and the families who carry their memories. God bless them and their loved ones."

NASA Administrator defends Learjet copilot

"Writing this in my personal capacity, but I have been flying these types of aircraft for more than 20 years, with over 8,000 hours, and have reasonable familiarity with how the charter world operates. I feel compelled to post after seeing commentary about the Lear 60 crash, from missile strikes to DEI to critiquing this poor woman's final radio calls," Isaacman wrote.

Isaacman is an experienced jet pilot and commercial astronaut. He bankrolled and organized two orbital spaceflights with SpaceX. Both included women onboard, and his first, Inspiration4, featured a female pilot , Sian Proctor.

The NASA administrator went on to state that Filgueiras remained professional throughout the situation, knowing her life was about to end. She communicated with air traffic control right up until the crash.

"She likely knew before many of those calls that she was going to die," he wrote.

"I understand the public interest given the footage and audio. But you do not know the aircraft's maintenance history, whether there was a structural failure, if any failure was induced by turbulence, overspeed, or overcontrol, or everything happening in that cockpit," Isaacman wrote.

The leaked cockpit communication with air traffic control revealed that the crew saw ice and experienced turbulence before the crash occurred.

Isaacman said that it is common for charter companies, which fly these small jets, to hire fairly new commercial pilots and enable them to gain experience before many become commercial pilots. Filgueiras would have likely had all the applicable training, requirements, and checkouts required from the Federal Aviation Administration, he wrote.

Evidence suggests the aircraft began breaking apart before impact, National Transportation Safety Board member Thomas Chapman said at a Monday news conference.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars .