Who was the female pilot in the Learjet 60 crash? Intense social media speculation over Alexandra Dudgeon, Nathalia Filguerias as identity kept under wraps

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. 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. Thank you for checking in,” Dudgeon apparently released a statement.The Learjet 60, registered as N722BD, crashed in a residential area of Greenacres in Palm Beach County on November 1. The aircraft had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas.While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that nine people were aboard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and local authorities had not released their identities as of November 2.The speculation intensified after recordings of the final communications between the aircraft and air traffic control circulated online. A female voice can be heard reporting icing conditions and moderate turbulence before the situation deteriorates rapidly and the crew declares an emergency.

Who is Alexandra Dudgeon?

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. 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.

Why is Nathalia Filgueiras’s name circulating?

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.According to a CBS12 report published on October 24, 2023, Filgueiras was then a 17-year-old senior at West Boca Raton High School in Palm Beach County. She obtained her private pilot’s licence in September that year, before getting her driver’s licence.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.The School District of Palm Beach County funded her private pilot’s licence through its Aviation Academy.At the time, Filgueiras said she hoped to become a commercial airline pilot or fly private jets.Her name resurfaced following the Learjet crash, with social media users claiming she was the female pilot aboard the aircraft. Some posts have cited alleged social media activity and a purported connection to the Learjet 60.What happened in the final moments before the Learjet crash?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.Shortly after receiving clearance, the aircraft began losing altitude rapidly. The pilot reported an accelerating descent, with the rate eventually reaching 20,000 feet per minute, alongside an overspeed condition.The final communications included a warning: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”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.All nine people aboard died. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash, and the cause has not yet been established.While the female voice in the cockpit recordings has fuelled questions about the identity of the pilot, neither Alexandra Dudgeon nor Nathalia Filgueiras has been officially identified as an occupant of the aircraft. The identities of all nine people remain unconfirmed publicly.