A father's account of the final flight

The father of the co-pilot, himself an experienced pilot, speaks about his daughter after the Learjet crash. The video says she was 20 and was co-piloting a jet from Austin, Texas to the Bahamas on 1 November, when it began to suddenly plummet in the last moments. He says he has listened to the final radio transmissions many times and hears his daughter's courage. He says he told her in life, in aviation and in everything to never give up, and that she kept trying until the last minute. The video says she was communicating with air traffic control and reported light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence.

The crash and the investigation

The video says the two pilots were navigating difficult weather conditions, reporting turbulence and requesting a better route, and communicated until the last moment before the Learjet crashed near West Palm Beach, Florida. It says all nine people on board died, among them two young children. The father says it hurts his heart that two little babies and everyone else lost their lives. The video says the jet's left elevator was found in three pieces nearly four miles away from the crash site, and that the NTSB is still investigating the cause of the crash.

Questions about age and qualification

The video says some people online have focused on the co-pilot's age. Her father pushes back and says she was qualified to be piloting that flight. According to him there is no age to exercise a gift, and he recalls that the day she passed her examination was one of the happiest days of his life, and of hers. The video says he is now working with a legal team, hoping for answers. He says his own experts will examine the fallen parts and the maintenance of the aircraft. He says he does not want to say anything at this moment and wants to hear what the NTSB has to say. He describes his daughter as responsible and says he has a lot of questions.