A private airplane crashed into a house and caught fire in the vicinity of the San Fernando airport in the province of Buenos Aires. The two pilots on board died as a result of the accident — the possibility of more fatalities has not been ruled out.
“The plane landed too far down the runway and for some reason could not brake, and ended up crashing into houses next to the airport,” said witnesses at the scene.
The aircraft was a family-owned Challenger 300, a mid-sized business jet. The aircraft was returning to Buenos Aires from Punta del Este, Uruguay. Firefighters flocked to the scene to combat the flames.
The Challenger hit a house next to the airport, where at least two more people may have been affected by the crash. The fatal flight lasted 34 minutes, taking off at 12:45 p.m. and an impact at 13:19. According to aeronautical records, it was the second trip of the day — it departed for Punta del Este at 11:12 a.m. and landed in Uruguay at 11:44 a.m before taking off again an hour later.
Pilot Ezequiel Sucardi spoke to C5N on Wednesday afternoon, claiming that such types of aircraft were in higher danger of mechanical failure when landing (the act of which has a higher impact on the plane).
The number of people who could be affected by the impact and fire cannot yet be determined, but the identity of the victims is known: Martín Fernández Loza (44) and Agustín Orforte (35).
Extensive damage in the residential area, including fires in nearby houses, caused panic among the neighbors. The causes of the accident are not yet known.
Originally published in Ambito.com