22-year old commercial pilot, Alex Molina Iturrino miraculously saved himself when his bimotor aircraft forcefully landed shortly after takeoff near the runway at Las Americas International Airport. The pilot was trying to make his way back to the airport after one of his motors caught on fire at an altitude of about 500 feet. Molina, with some 1,000 pilot hours, had just returned from a trip to Portillo where he dropped off passengers and was enroute to the Herrera Domestic Airport. The airplane belonged to the Air Century charter company. It was completely destroyed. Upon landing, Molina escaped with not serious burns from the blazing airplane through the front window and ran from the airplane. He is son of Rafael Molina Lluberes, a congressman for Sanchez Ramirez (PRSC) and candidate for senator in that province. Molina took up piloting as a profession at age 19, graduating in Miami. He said he would continue to fly as that was the profession he had chosen.
