A Helidosa Aviation Group Gulfstream jet crashed at 5:25pm in the grass field near the main runway of Las Americas International Airport. On board were six passengers and three crew. The private plane had departed at 5:09pm from La Isabela International Airport in northern Santo Domingo on a flight to Orlando, Florida. The pilot reported an emergency and diverted to land at Las Americas. The forced landing ended in a blaze in the grass coverage near a main runway. No one survived the landing.
The passengers were identified as US citizens 36-year old José Ángel Hernández, 31-year old Debbie Von Marie Jiménez García, 21-year old Kellyan Hernández Pena, 4-year old Jayden Hernández, 18-year old Yeilianys Jeishlimar Meléndez Jiménez, 13-year old Jassiel Yabdiel Silva. The crew is identified as 47-year old Venezuelan pilot Luis Alberto Eljuri and 26 year old Dominican co-pilot Víctor Emilio Herrera and flight attendant Veronica Estrella. Helidosa confirmed the aircraft was HI1050 type Gulfstream GIVSP.
Puerto Rican music producer José Ángel Hernández, known as “Flow La Movie,” and his wife Debbie Von Marie Jiménez García and their children Jayden Hernández, Kellyan Hernández Peña, Yeilianys Jeishlimar Meléndez Jiménez were among the deceased.
Veronica Estrella is a niece of the president of the Senate, Eduardo Estrella. Veronica Estrella was the flight attendant and reportedly was on her first flight.
The crash caused an around two-hour suspension of flight operations at the airport. The airport reported that once the relief vehicles were removed from the crash zone, a thorough review of the runway was carried out to ensure that takeoff and landing operations could be carried out without inconveniences, and all airfield activities were resumed at 7:35pm.
Due to the interruption of operations, one flight was cancelled. Eight passenger planes and one cargo plane were diverted to alternate airports; nine passenger planes and three cargo planes scheduled to depart were delayed.
The authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
Helidosa company president, Gonzalo Castillo shared on his tweeter account the official note of the company regarding the tragic accident and called for prudence and solidarity and support to the families affected. The company says it is collaborating with the aviation accident commission. Castillo is a former Minister of Public Works (2012-2019) who ran for President of the Republic for the former ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) in the past 2020 general election.
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16 December 2021