Spanish Air Force instructor and student die in training incident
Less than a month after the crash of a C-101 Aviojet training plane which cost the life of its pilot, the Spanish Academia General del Aire was affected by another fatal accident on September 18, 2019.
An ENAER T-35C Pillán trainer aircraft of the Spanish Air Force crashed shortly after takeoff, near the coast of San Javier, southeastern Spain. The two occupants, an instructor and his trainee, died during the crash.
El comandante Daniel Melero y la alférez alumna Rosa María Almirón han fallecido esta mañana en accidente de aviación en #SanJavier #Murcia #AGA
Sus compañeros del Ejército del Aire acompañamos en el dolor a sus familiares y amigos.
Descansad en paz pic.twitter.com/vYMQIkcMff
— Ejército del Aire (@EjercitoAire) September 18, 2019
Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced that the most likely cause for the accident was an engine failure. According to El Pais, the instructor, who had accumulated more than 5,000 flying hours, reported that the single-engine had stopped and that he would attempt an emergency water landing. The plane, which has no ejection seat, was still at low altitude as it had just taken off. Rescue teams from the Civil Guard, the Air Force, and the emergency services recovered both bodies on the scene of the accident.
It was the third flight of the aircraft in less than 24 hours. It had been checked before flight and no problem was detected.
The T-35C Pillán, also known as E-26 Tamiz in Spain, was designed by the a Chilean company Enaer and is manufactured under license by the Spanish manufacturer Aeronautical Constructions (CASA).
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