Dad remembers daughter, copilot killed in Florida plane crash: 'She made me so proud'

Father of Learjet co-pilot speaks out after deadly crash The father of a 20-year-old co-pilot killed in a Florida Learjet crash remembered his daughter Friday as a gifted hero and his "soulmate." The Brief The father of a Learjet co-pilot killed alongside eight others in South Florida held a news conference Friday with his attorney. Grieving father, Allan Filgueiras remembered his daughter Nataliha as an extraordinary aviator, a hero and his soulmate who fought until her final moments. Federal investigators are reviewing multiple factors in the fatal plane crash while the family confirms no lawsuits have been filed. FLORIDA - Nearly a week after a Learjet crash in Palm Beach County that killed nine people, the father of the 20-year-old copilot spoke out at a news conference Friday morning, remembering his daughter as a gifted hero and his "soulmate." South Florida plane crash What we know: Grieving father, Allan Filgueiras, appeared alongside attorney Stuart Grossman on Friday morning at a news conference to honor his daughter, Nathalia Filgueiras, following Sunday's deadly Learjet crash. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash killed nine people and displaced nearby residents. Grossman said the family is not suing anyone at this time and expressed condolences through the firm to everyone who perished, their families and their friends. In the press conference, representatives said Nataliha, born in Miami, was top of her class and fully qualified despite her age, was inspired to fly after her father introduced her to aviation. Family honors fallen aviator What they're saying: "Beyond an average pilot, she was extraordinary," the family's attorney stated. He explained that Nathalia fell in love with flying through her pilot father, who used to take her in the skies with him as a passenger. When asked if he had a message for his daughter, Allan choked up: "She was gifted, and my soulmate. I wanted to be by her side inside the plane to help. To be by her…I had to be next to her." He shared that her happiest moments were always in the air, adding that she was constantly amazed anyone paid her to do what she loved. "She used to say, 'Dad, can you believe that I would pay for this, but they actually pay me?'" he recalled. In the days since the crash, Allan said he has listened repeatedly to the cockpit audio recording , searching for clues about what went wrong—and being amazed by his daughter's composure in her final moments. "She made me so proud. She showed me what it is to be a hero," he said. "Once you see that coming, a lot of the big boys—military or whatever—they can’t handle it. But she was the one in there, fighting until the very last minute. I thought, 'Wow, she is tough.'" Allan said as she continued with pilot training, the dynamic between them had flipped. "When we flew together, I used to instruct her. But then she became my instructor," he smiled. "She’d tell me, 'Dad, I'm not being as tough on you as you were on me.'" Speaking to a reporter in Spanish, Allan said, "Yo tengo que encontrar una forma de vivir" —"I have to find a way to live." With a wife and three other children depending on him, he said he is determined to keep going. "Nathalia doesn't want to see her father falling apart," he said. "So, I’m going to find a way to make her proud—and make my wife and other three kids proud, too." What happened? The backstory: A Learjet 60 carrying nine people crashed around 12:50 p.m. Sunday in a residential area in Palm Springs, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA said the flight departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed toward North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas before it went down. Courtesy: Aki Kuusisto via Storyful First responders from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department and county fire rescue rushed to the scene immediately. Officials reported that the plane left a massive crater on the side of the road and scattered debris across the area. In a video, the plane can be seen nose diving into the area before bursting into flames, sending black plumes of smoke into the air. Courtesy: Aki Kuusisto via Storyful All nine people aboard were killed in the crash, including a Texas family of four. According to TMZ, tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson died alongside his wife, Helen, their two young children, their nanny, and two traveling companions, as well as the flight's captain and co-pilot. Federal safety inquiry What we don't know: Officials have not yet determined what caused the jet to go down as National Transportation Safety Board investigators examine many factors in South Florida. Grossman emphasized that the family is not making allegations against anyone right now and will wait to hear what government investigators uncover. The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a Friday morning news conference held by the father of the Learjet co-pilot, who spoke alongside his attorney, Stewart Grossman, as well as statements regarding the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Florida