A 20-year-old pilot who obtained her private pilot’s licence while still in high school has been identified as one of the victims of the Learjet crash that killed nine people in Florida, United States.

The co-pilot, identified as Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, was flying aboard the Learjet 60 travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when it plunged into a residential neighbourhood in Palm Beach County on Sunday afternoon.

Her mother, Camila, and stepfather, Thiago Corteleti, confirmed her identity to the New York Post, revealing that she had been working as a commercial pilot for nine months.

Corteleti said Filgueiras had accumulated about 1,300 flying hours before the crash.

The grieving mother said she had always feared that her daughter’s passion for flying could eventually cost her life but was nevertheless proud that she had pursued her dream.

“I wanted her to live her dream, but I knew that her dream was going to be the thing that would take her away from me,” Camila said.

She added that she knew her daughter loved flying and was proud that she had achieved her ambition at such a young age.

Filgueiras reportedly sent a text message to her boyfriend, Justin, about 10 minutes before the aircraft crashed.

According to Corteleti, her message indicated that the aircraft was experiencing turbulence and ice conditions.

The young pilot grew up in Palm Beach County and attracted local media attention in October 2023 when she obtained her private pilot’s licence at just 17, while still a senior at West Boca Raton High School.

She began taking flying lessons in 2020 and also received training from her father, who had learnt to fly recreationally in 2018.

Her family said her interest in aviation developed after her father took her on flights in his small Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft.

At the time she obtained her licence, Filgueiras joked that although she could not drive a car, she could fly an aircraft.

The School District of Palm Beach County’s Aviation Academy reportedly sponsored her pilot training through its aviation programme.

She subsequently graduated from American Flyers, a flight training school based in Addison, Texas, with a branch in Pompano Beach, Florida.

After obtaining her commercial qualifications, she worked as a flight instructor in Fort Lauderdale before securing another flying job.

Her family said she had hoped to become a commercial airline pilot and eventually work for American Airlines, but was still too young to apply.

Filgueiras was the middle child among three sisters. She also frequently shared pictures and videos of herself flying on social media.

In one of her recent posts, she shared a video of herself and her boyfriend flying together, highlighting that they were both under 21 and held commercial, multi-engine, instrument and flight instructor qualifications.

Meanwhile, authorities have yet to release the identities of the other eight people who died in the crash.

The Learjet reportedly plunged at a rate exceeding 20,000 feet per minute before hitting the ground in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, triggering a massive fireball and leaving a crater at the crash site.

Investigators were examining the wreckage on Monday as officials prepared to provide further details about the incident.