Pilots of a Gulfstream G200 killed during an emergency landing at La Romana International Airport in the Dominican Republic Sunday have been identified as Erick Javier Diago and Rudy Ghazal, both U.S. citizens. The plane was on a repositioning flight to Austin, Texas, when the pilots reported some kind of issue shortly after takeoff. It’s now been reported that there was a possible engine failure that led to a hydraulic issue and the gear wasn’t working properly The aircraft made a series of 360° turns before lining up for Runway 29. They went around on the first attempt and crashed on the second try. The plane ended up on the grass and the main gear was collapsed as it bounced on the infield before hitting something and breaking apart. The main tanks ruptured and the aircraft exploded.
The plane had been chartered by former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who told local media the plane was on its way to pick him and his family up for a trip to his native Puerto Rico. The plane was owned by Aibonito Aviation in Puerto Rico.
“The crew may have intentionally landed on the grass infield. However they got there, the main gear collapsed on the grass and the plane bounced on the infield before hitting something and breaking apart.”
First, my sympathies go out to the families of the two pilots who did all they could to get back on the ground safe. Loss is never easy.
Interesting opinion regarding the grass infield. This reports the plane did 360s before landing, but without any more information, it is also speculation, but if they had hydraulic failure, the possibility they could only turn might mean that all that circling was an attempt to line up with the runway and lacking full control, the plane drifted onto the grass.
The “hitting something” mainly looked like the ground in a nose down attitude having just bounced up in the air and the forces on the plane broke it up. Unless there is a CVR we’ll never know their decisions, but it would seem a wheels up landing on the runway may have not resulted in a break up. A sad day for sure.
I think we have a lot more questions than answers about this crash right now.
Sounds a bit like the UAL DC10 many years ago.
Not even a close approximation. UAL 232 could not possibly have gone around from a first try. And UAL had Al Haynes in the left seat. This G200 had at least enough control to execute one of the most difficult maneuvers in transport category aviation – a go around.
I guess I was thinking of the issue, hydraulics issue, control problems, crashed mostly on landing and exploded. Eyes of the beholder. Yes. Capt. Haynes and his team certainly did a great job considering the circumstances.