Two Dominican Air Force (FAD) pilots died yesterday afternoon, Sunday 7 April when they lost control of their training plane and crashed into the sea. They were the third duo of air force pilots to attempt the dangerous stunt as part of a display flight before performances by professional air acrobats for the Caribbean Air Show 2013 in Santo Domingo. They crashed in front of thousands of people who were at the Malecon seafront boulevard to watch the show. The accident moved the nation as videos and photos of the tragic moment were distributed via the Internet. The death of the pilots led the organizers to suspend the show that was in its second day.
First Lieutenant Rafael Eduardo Astacio, 28, and Second Lieutenant Carlos Manuel Guerrero, 25, both of whom were single, were piloting a Chilean-made 2009 T-35 Pillan, FAD 1807, an aircraft used for training FAD pilots.
The accident occurred at 2:40pm when the plane was flying some 500 meters from the beach, in front of the Agriculture Bank at an altitude of some 500 feet when suddenly the aircraft plunged into the sea. According to knowledgeable witnesses, the aircraft was attempting a barrel roll at low altitude when it stalled and did not have enough altitude to regain flight speed.
This was the fourth year that the “Air Show of the Caribbean” has been held in Santo Domingo. The event features mainly international pilots.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrmlG0OtMys
http://www.diariolibre.com/dlenglish/2013/04/08/i378333_death-two-pilots-during-air-show-casts-pale-sorrow-over-the-country-fad-will-investigate-causes.html
www.airforce-technology.com/projects/enaer-t-35-pillan-trainer-aircraft/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air_show_accidents_and_incidents#2013