Nathalia Gadelha Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education

Nathalia Gadelha was a young pilot whose passion for aviation began long before she entered professional flying. She attracted public attention in 2023 after earning her private pilot’s licence at just 17 years old, while she was still attending high school in Florida.

Her story received renewed attention in November 2026 following a fatal Learjet 60 crash in Palm Beach County, Florida. Her family identified her as the aircraft’s co-pilot.

The news brought attention to her early achievements, her dedication to flying and her ambition to build a career in aviation.

But Nathalia’s story is not just about the tragic incident. It is also about a young woman who developed an interest in flying as a teenager and worked towards becoming a professional pilot.

In this biography, we look at Nathalia Gadelha’s age, early life, family background, education, pilot training and aviation career, using information available from published reports.

Table of Contents

Nathalia Gadelha Biography: Quick Bio

Information	Details
Full name	Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras
Known as	Nathalia Gadelha
Age	20 years (as of November 2026)
Birth year	2006 (reported)
Birth date	January (exact date not publicly confirmed)
Birthplace	Not independently confirmed
Raised in	Palm Beach County, Florida
Nationality	Not independently confirmed
Profession	Pilot
Education	West Boca Raton High School
Known for	Earning a private pilot’s licence at 17
Pilot licence	Private pilot certificate, earned in 2023
Aviation interest	Began during her teenage years
Mother	Camila (reported)
Stepfather	Thiago Corteleti (reported)
Career ambition	To become an airline pilot
Instagram	@itsnatfilg (reported social media account)

Note: Some personal details are not publicly established through independent records. The table includes reported information and avoids presenting unverified details as confirmed facts.

Who Was Nathalia Gadelha?

Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras was a young pilot from Florida who became known for achieving an important aviation milestone at an unusually early age.

In September 2023, when she was 17, Nathalia earned her private pilot’s licence. At that time, she was a senior student at West Boca Raton High School.

Her achievement attracted attention from local media because she had reached a significant milestone in aviation before obtaining a regular driving licence.

Her story was featured by CBS12 News in October 2023. During the interview, Nathalia spoke about her experience of flying and her enjoyment of doing something different from other teenagers.

She was particularly proud of being able to fly an aircraft even though she did not yet have a driving licence.

That achievement helped introduce her to a wider audience and highlighted her early commitment to aviation.

Age and Early Life

Nathalia Gadelha was 20 years old in November 2026. Her family reportedly said that she would have celebrated her 21st birthday in January 2027.

She grew up in Palm Beach County, Florida, where she developed an interest in aviation during her teenage years.

Unlike many young people who first explore flying as adults, Nathalia started learning about aircraft while she was still in school. Her early exposure to aviation helped shape her career ambitions.

According to published interviews, her interest in flying was also influenced by her father, who took up flying as a hobby in 2018.

Her family background played a role in introducing her to the aviation world, although detailed information about her childhood, siblings and wider family has not been publicly documented.

Nathalia Gadelha Family Background

Family support was an important part of Nathalia’s journey into aviation.

Reports about her early flying experience mention her father’s interest in flying and his involvement in introducing her to aircraft.

Her mother, Camila, and stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, later spoke publicly about her aviation career following the Florida Learjet crash in November 2026.

Her mother described how proud the family was of Nathalia and the career she had chosen. Their comments also reflected the emotional difficulty of losing someone so young while she was pursuing her dream.

However, Nathalia’s parents’ professional backgrounds, siblings and other personal family details have not been reliably established in available public reporting. It is better not to assume or publish information that has not been confirmed.

Education

Nathalia attended West Boca Raton High School in Florida.

In 2023, she was a senior student at the school while also working towards her aviation goals. Her education and pilot training progressed alongside each other, allowing her to develop her interest in flying before completing her school years.

Her story became particularly interesting because she managed to earn her private pilot’s licence while still a high school student.

Her educational background beyond high school has not been independently confirmed in publicly available reporting.

Nathalia Gadelha’s Pilot Training and Aviation Journey

Nathalia’s journey into aviation involved more than simply learning how to operate an aircraft. She began preparing for a flying career while balancing her school education and pilot training.

According to her 2023 interview with CBS12 News, she started ground school in 2020, when she was entering her sophomore year of high school.

Ground school helped her understand the theoretical side of aviation, including the knowledge required before taking control of an aircraft. She also learned from her father’s recreational flying experience.

Her training gradually moved from classroom learning to practical flying lessons. By September 2023, she had successfully completed the requirements for her private pilot certificate.

At the time of her television interview, she had accumulated approximately 88 flight hours. This was an important starting point for someone who wanted to make aviation a long-term profession.

How Did Nathalia Gadelha Become a Pilot at 17?

Nathalia earned her private pilot certificate in September 2023, when she was 17 years old.

One important part of her journey was the support she received through the School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy. According to the CBS12 report, the programme helped pay for her licence.

Her achievement was particularly notable because she was still completing high school.

A private pilot certificate allows a person to fly within the privileges and limitations of that certificate. It does not automatically qualify someone to work as a commercial pilot or operate every type of aircraft.

Nathalia would therefore need further training, experience and additional qualifications to move towards her professional ambitions.

Her early achievement provided the foundation for that next stage.

Nathalia Gadelha’s Professional Aviation Career

After earning her initial pilot certificate, Nathalia continued working towards a professional flying career.

According to interviews with her family published following the November 2026 accident, she graduated from American Flyers, a flight training organisation with a location in Pompano Beach, Florida.

She subsequently worked as a flight instructor at another aviation school in Fort Lauderdale.

Working as a flight instructor can be an important stage in a pilot’s career. It provides an opportunity to develop practical flying skills, build experience and help other students understand aviation.

Her family described her as someone who was deeply committed to flying. They also spoke about how impressed people were with her abilities and enthusiasm.

This stage marked a significant transition from learning to fly as a teenager to working in the aviation industry.

How Much Flying Experience Did Nathalia Gadelha Have?

One of the most notable details to emerge from her family’s interviews was the amount of flying experience she had accumulated.

Her stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, told the New York Post that Nathalia had approximately 1,300 flight hours.

Her mother also said that she had been working as a commercial pilot for around nine months before the November 2026 accident.

These details offer an indication of how quickly her aviation career had progressed after earning her first certificate.

However, the 1,300-hour figure comes from a family interview rather than a publicly available official flight log. It should therefore be attributed to her stepfather rather than presented as an independently verified aviation record.

Nathalia Gadelha and the Learjet 60

One of the most significant developments in Nathalia’s aviation journey was her reported involvement in operating a Learjet 60.

The Learjet 60 is a twin-engine business jet manufactured by Bombardier. It is designed for business and private transportation and requires appropriate aircraft-specific qualifications and training.

Reports published after the Florida accident described Nathalia as the aircraft’s co-pilot.

A March 2026 social media post attributed to her also reportedly celebrated her progress in flying the Learjet 60. This provides a glimpse into her developing experience with business aviation, although social media posts should not be treated as substitutes for official licensing records.

Her reported move into this aircraft category represented another stage in the career she had started building while still in school.

What Happened to Nathalia Gadelha in November 2026?

On November 1, 2026, a Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, during a flight from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft crashed in a residential area near Cresthaven, Florida, at approximately 12:50 p.m. local time.

Nine people were aboard the aircraft. All nine died in the accident.

The aircraft was identified in aviation reporting as a 2004 Learjet 60 registered as N722BD.

Nathalia’s mother and stepfather subsequently identified her as the co-pilot in interviews with the New York Post. Her family said she had been working towards a professional aviation career and was living the dream she had pursued from a young age.

What Were the Final Flight Conditions?

Information released through aviation reporting indicates that the aircraft encountered difficult weather conditions before the crash.

According to Aviation International News, the flight crew discussed icing, precipitation and moderate turbulence with air traffic control.

The aircraft later experienced a rapid loss of altitude. Air traffic controllers attempted to communicate with the crew as the situation developed.

Some reports also described an overspeed condition during the aircraft’s descent.

These details are important for understanding the circumstances surrounding the accident. However, they do not establish what caused the aircraft to crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation. Until investigators release their findings, it would be incorrect to attribute the accident to a particular technical problem, weather condition or pilot action.

Latest Updates on Nathalia Gadelha

As of November 2, 2026, the following information is available:

Her family has identified her as the co-pilot aboard the Learjet 60.
Her family reported that she had accumulated around 1,300 flight hours.
She had reportedly worked as a commercial pilot for approximately nine months.
The aircraft was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas.
Nine people died in the crash.
The FAA and NTSB are involved in the investigation.

Further details about the official investigation, aircraft condition and the cause of the accident remain subject to confirmation.

Nathalia Gadelha’s Aviation Journey: A Young Career Remembered

Nathalia’s aviation journey included several important milestones, from beginning ground school as a teenager to earning her private pilot certificate and moving into professional flying.

Her progress attracted attention because she pursued a demanding career at a young age. The reports about her training, flight instruction work and later experience with business aircraft provide a picture of someone who had invested considerable effort in aviation.

Her story also highlights the difference between earning an initial pilot certificate and building the experience needed for professional flying.

Although her career was cut short, the journey she had already completed remains a significant part of her story.

Author Profile

Vivek Agarwal: Vivek Agarwal is an experienced content writer with over 5 years of expertise in blogging and digital publishing. Having completed his education in English Generalism, he specializes in creating SEO-friendly, research-based, and reader-focused content. At RedStarGroup.in, he covers biographies, entertainment news, trending topics, and informative articles.