The two crew members of a small plane that this Thursday afternoon was flying near the Los Garranchos aerodrome, in the town of San Javier (Murcia), have died after the aircraft, on a leisure flight, plummeted for reasons that are unknown and burst into flames as a result of the impact.
The deceased are the second lieutenant of the Air Force Adolfo Baños, 54, and the engineer and flight instructor Hugo López, 47, as confirmed to EL PAÍS by the mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo.
The incident took place at 5:08 p.m., about 500 meters from the aerodrome, the Emergency Coordination Center of the Region of Murcia specified.
The two pilots, "with extensive experience," according to Luengo, were performing different tricks when, suddenly, they lost control of the plane, which plummeted.
The aircraft has been "completely burned, made a jumble of iron", declares the mayor, for which reason the emergency personnel dispatched to the scene, firefighters from the Fire Fighting and Rescue Consortium of the Region of Murcia and the the municipal brigade of Cartagena, health workers from 061 and members of the San Javier Local Police, have not been able to do anything for the victims.
The first mayor of San Javier, who went to Los Garranchos as soon as he heard the news, affirms that among those responsible for the aerodrome, colleagues of the deceased pilots, it is considered probable that "a mechanical failure" has occurred, although it will be necessary to wait for the investigation, which is carried out by the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard, which is already analyzing the remains of the ship, accompanied by the judicial authority.
Luengo, significantly affected and "very shocked" by the accident, points out that Baños and López were "two people closely linked to the aerodrome" and that they collaborated "constantly in the promotion of aeronautical culture", a crucial activity in the Murcian municipality, where The General Air Academy is based.
"Both were doing school projects, like a few days ago, in which they had shown the students a replica of Juan de la Cierva's autogyro."
Baños and López had also created the Garra patrol —a name that alludes to Los Garranchos—, made up of two ultralights, also to publicize aviation among the general population.
According to the mayor, Second Lieutenant Baños "had been stationed at a German base for a couple of years," while López "was an engineer and flight instructor at Club Mar Menor."
The identities of the accident pilots have been confirmed by the aerodrome personnel as soon as the impact occurred, indicates Luengo.
The president of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, has "very much" regretted the tragedy and has conveyed his condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the General Air Academy of San Javier in a message on social networks.