NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has condemned online conspiracy theories surrounding the Florida Learjet 60 crash that killed all nine people aboard.
Isaacman, a veteran pilot with more than 8,000 hours in the air, said on X Monday that he felt compelled to respond after seeing posts falsely attributing the disaster to a missile strike or DEI. Other users had also criticized the final radio transmissions made by the plane’s 20-year-old co-pilot.
“That last part is what I find most troubling,” Isaacman wrote as he defended Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras’ conduct during the emergency, when the aircraft descended at more than 20,000 feet per minute.
As the second-in-command, Filgueiras was expected to identify potential mistakes under standard crew resource management procedures. Isaacman said she was doing exactly that while maintaining communication with [air traffic control] until the final moments of the terrifying flight.
“She likely knew before many of those calls that she was going to die,” he said.
Isaacman also rejected scrutiny of Filgueiras’ age and experience. He explained that charter operators commonly assign less experienced commercial pilots to fly alongside senior captains, adding that Filgueiras held the Federal Aviation Administration credentials required for the role.
He acknowledged the public’s interest in the widely shared dashcam video and cockpit recordings from the Learjet crash, saying he understood why people were watching the footage and listening to the audio.
However, the NASA chief cautioned that the recordings do not reveal the full picture. Investigators still need to determine the aircraft’s maintenance history, whether a structural problem occurred, or if turbulence, excessive speed, overcontrol or events inside the cockpit contributed to the crash.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman criticized conspiracy theories circulating online after a Learjet 60 plunged to the ground in Florida
He defended 20-year-old Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, who was serving as co-pilot when the Learjet 60 crashed near West Palm Beach on Sunday
Federal investigators will likely examine Sunday’s weather conditions as they work to establish why the Learjet suddenly lost altitude, Isaacman said. “But beyond that, it is speculation,” he added.
He urged the public to allow investigators to establish the facts, saying: “Let people investigate, learn and share the facts. Be respectful of those who perished and the families who carry their memories.”
The nine people aboard the Bahamas-bound aircraft included tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, 45, his wife Helen Sharp, 40, their nanny, two friends and the couple’s two children, according to the Daily Mail. The jet crashed into a road in Greenacres, Florida, leaving a large crater.
The twin-engine business jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas at 10.37am ET on Sunday. It was flying east at 35,000 feet when Filgueiras warned air traffic control that the aircraft was rapidly losing altitude.
“Descending 20,000ft per minute… we’re going to crash into the ground,” the co-pilot reported. In the background, Captain Jeff Gregory, 55, could reportedly be heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
The cockpit recording captured Filgueiras trying to explain the unfolding emergency to air traffic controllers during the final moments before the Learjet 60 went down.
MORE ON THIS: Audio of Woman Flying Doomed Learjet Criticized for Turbulence Gaffe
She reportedly said the aircraft had rolled to a 60-degree bank, indicating it was nearly flying on its side, while continuing to provide updates about its changing altitude.
The Daily Mail has decided not to release the final seconds of the recording because of its extremely distressing content.
Disturbing dashcam footage showed the Learjet 60 diving into an intersection before erupting in flames
Adam Robinson, 45, and Helen Sharp, 40, were traveling with their children Emma, four, and Charlie, two, when the jet crashed
Filgueiras had also been messaging her fellow pilot boyfriend about facing heavy weather in the minutes before the plane crashed.
Her family told the New York Post that before the crash, Filgueiras texted her boyfriend Justin: ‘I’ve got turbulence, I’ve got ice.’
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board now say they believe severe weather played a ‘significant factor’ in the disaster and that part of the jet appeared to have broken off before the crash.
Officials said the pilots requested to gain 2,000 feet of elevation when they encountered a thunderstorm, moments before the aircraft spiraled to the ground.
The jet crashed just eight miles from President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club, and the president and Air Force One took off from Palm Beach International Airport just an hour before the crash landing.
The impact left debris scattered across a significant distance and a massive crater in the road, but authorities said nobody on the ground was injured or killed in the crash.
Filgueiras was heard warning air traffic control of the imminent disaster moments before the jet crash landed
The impact left a massive crater in the middle of the road, damaging nearby infrastructure
Some aviation experts now believe the plane may have fallen foul of ‘coffin corner’ while trying to climb above two storm systems, known as cells.
Coffin corner is a phenomenon whereby the jet’s minimum safe speed and maximum safe speed converge into a very narrow range at high altitude, making it extremely difficult to fly safely.
If the plane goes too slow or fast it will stall and quickly become uncontrollable.