Private jet crash kills two pilots in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic: A US-registered Gulfstream G200 N318JF private business jet crashed and burst into flames on Sunday afternoon while attempting an emergency landing at La Romana International Airport (LRM) in the Dominican Republic. Both crew members on board were killed, officials confirmed.

According to officials, the aircraft, a private Gulfstream G200 with registration number N318JF had taken off from La Romana and was scheduled to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, United States. The flight crew reportedly encountered an in-flight emergency that may have been related to mechanical issues involving the aircraft's hydraulics, shortly after departure.

Only the pilot and co-pilot were on board at the time of the incident. Both were killed on impact as the aircraft burst into flames.

According to the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), the aircraft declared an emergency while flying about 16 nautical miles (30 kilometres) southwest of La Romana. The crew then immediately notified air traffic control and began returning to the airport.

As the crew attempted an emergency landing, the aircraft veered off the runway and crashed into the grass which caused it to burst into flames and was immediately engulfed in black smoke.

Videos of the incident have surfaced online, showing the aircraft making a hard landing before crashing and being engulfed in flames. Airport firefighters responded immediately to the scene to contain the fire.

IDAC noted that the Dominican aviation investigators have started an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Investigators from the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAA) will examine the aircraft's records, documentation, communications with air traffic controllers and any available flight’s maintenance and technical data.

According to reports, the private jet was scheduled to pick up former Major League Baseball star Yadier Molina and his family in Texas before flying them to Puerto Rico. Molina shared a post on Instagram alongside a video showing the aircraft crashing and catching fire and wrote, “My condolences to the pilots and their families.”

The incident has left the community in shock, with family members and friends of the deceased mourning the loss of the two pilots.