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The same plane that crashed in Florida had an intense exchange with air traffic control earlier this year.
Audio between an air traffic controller and a female pilot flying the Learjet 60 during a flight in May has resurfaced following Sunday’s tragic incident in Palm Beach County.
A man and woman in the cockpit were scolded by ground control in New Jersey after they appeared to make unapproved altitude adjustments during turbulent conditions, according to audio obtained by the Daily Mail and the U.K. Sun .
What happened with the Learjet 60 in May?
The plane was flying over Newark airport at the time when an air traffic controller asked the crew, “Why are you climbing?”
The female pilot answered: “We’re just about to call you, we are experiencing moderate chop and unable to hold altitude.”
The controller responded sternly: “That is not moderate, descend to 4,000 [feet] immediately. If you can’t maintain altitude, that is not moderate, that is severe turbulence. Are you experiencing severe turbulence?”
Both pilots are heard saying, “Affirmative, sir,” then clarified that there were “no injuries” onboard but noted they were “ still experiencing severe turbulence. ”
It is unclear if the pilots heard on the audio were Nathalia Filgueiras, 20, and Jeff Gregory, 55, the co-pilot and pilot, respectively, of the aircraft that slammed into the ground on Sunday, killing them and their seven passengers.
The Learjet 60 had the same tail number — N722BD — as Sunday’s doomed plane that was bound for the Bahamas after departing Austin, Texas, the outlets reported.
The aircraft was owned by Upper Jets, a private aviation company based in Fort Lauderdale.
NFL star flew ‘with those same two pilots’ weeks ago
NFL star Joe Mixon revealed that he flew on the same Learjet with Gregory and Filgueiras at the helm last month, and was “absolutely devastated” to learn about the tragedy.
“I flew on that exact aircraft last month with those same two pilots,” the two-time Pro Bowl running back said in a post on X. “They were incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people.”
He described the pilots as “incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people,” and made a special mention of Filgueiras.
“Hearing the young woman’s story and learning about the bright future she had ahead of her makes it even more heartbreaking that her life was cut so short.”
The 30-year-old free agent offered his prayers to the loved ones of everyone on board, calling the crash a “tragic reminder of how fragile life is.”
He added: “Love on your loved ones while you can, because you never know what tomorrow may bring.”
Absolutely devastated by yesterday’s tragic plane crash in Florida and the loss of all nine lives. I flew on that exact aircraft last month with those same two pilots. They were incredible professionals and genuinely wonderful people. Hearing the young woman’s story and learning…
— ⚡️Primetime!!!⚡️ (@Joe_MainMixon) November 2, 2026
Investigation at and near the crash site
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched an investigation into the crash.
Pieces of the jet were found about six kilometres away from the crash site, investigators said in a news conference on Tuesday.
NTSB member Tom Chapman said that the discovery of a part of the tail located that far from the impact crater indicated that the plane was likely breaking up before it hit the ground.
He noted that the tail’s elevator was snapped into three parts — and without that piece intact, the pilots have been unable to pull the aircraft out of its nosedive.
“The function of the elevator is to control the pitch up and down,” he said. “At those speeds I don’t know that it would’ve been effective even if it had still been attached to the aircraft, but knowing that it was lost is a very important piece of evidence in terms of pointing us towards other things to investigate.”
- Pilot, passengers of doomed Florida Learjet identified: ‘THEY LOVED THEIR PEOPLE FIERCELY’
- Learjet co-pilot in fiery Florida crash ID’d as 20-year-old Nathalia Filgueiras
- Lenny Kravitz shuts down rumour he died in Florida Learjet crash
Minutes before the pilots’ mayday call, Filgueiras informed air traffic controllers of turbulence and ice accumulating on the plane.
Filgueiras can be heard saying in air traffic control audio that the jet was rapidly descending moments before it ultimately exploded on the ground.
The passengers who died in the crash have been identified as tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his artist wife Helen Sharp and their two children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, the couple’s friends, Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and their children’s nanny, Anita Maria Apellido Cetina.