A pilot was killed and several other others injured when the plane hit an influence line whereas on a firefighting mission
A lightweight plane burst into flames and crashed onto a freeway in central Chile yesterday, killing its pilot immediately and injuring three folks on the bottom, native authorities have confirmed.
Chile’s Normal Directorate of Civilian Aeronautics stated an Ayres Trush S2R-T plane belonging to Air Andes SPA crashed round 4:30pm native time on a freeway close to the Panguilemo airfield within the metropolis of Talca whereas conducting a firefighting operation.
It later added that the pilot, who was the one one on board, died on account of accidents sustained within the accident. It expressed condolences to his household.
The Disaster 24 web site reported that site visitors within the space had come to a whole standstill. The reason for the incident stays unclear.
Movies of the crash have gone viral on social media, exhibiting the propeller plane flying at a particularly low altitude over the freeway. The aircraft then hit a high-voltage energy line with considered one of its wings, inflicting it to lose management, with liquid seen gushing out of its fuselage. Because the aircraft went right into a spin, it burst right into a fireball and smashed immediately on the street, sending plumes of black smoke into the air.
Air aircraft crash on the Panguilemo airfield in Talca of Maule Area, Chile 🇨🇱The aircraft fell on Route 5 South, the nation’s most important land route, touchdown on a truck and a automotive. The pilot of the plane was killed, runways closed in each instructions.Video: Jorge Rodriguez Zanabria… pic.twitter.com/NHnnyhfDPz
— Catastrophe Information (@Top_Disaster) January 16, 2024
The Nationwide Forestry Company (CONAF) recognized the deceased pilot as Fernando Solans, a Spanish nationwide who was serving to to fight fires. It added that three folks on the bottom had been injured within the accident.
The group stated Solans had develop into part of the legacy of “martyrs who’ve given their lives to safeguard the heritage of our nation and shield the lives of its inhabitants.”
Chilean President Gabriel Boric additionally expressed his condolences. “Yearly, 1000’s of individuals tackle the tough however noble activity of preventing forest fires. In the present day, we have now to mourn the loss of life of the pilot Fernando Solans who offered providers to [CONAF],” he wrote on X (previously Twitter).
In latest weeks, Chilean authorities have been battling wildfires, issuing evacuation orders for a whole lot of individuals. In accordance with CONAF, the 2023-2024 season set a report of greater than 1,700 fires within the nation, affecting round 15,000 hectares of land.
