RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Kevin Alonso Raggio (27) and Franco Pamboukdjian Acevedo (22) are the two crew members on board the aircraft with Argentine registration that on Sunday crashed in the Sierras de las Animas, in Uruguay’s Maldonado department.
The light aircraft with the two Argentines had taken off from San Fernando Airport (province of Buenos Aires) and was heading to Laguna del Sauce International Airport in Punta del Este. On the way, for reasons still under investigation, the aircraft crashed and Alonso Raggio and Pamboukdjian Acevedo lost their lives.
The Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST) was notified of the crash and, in accordance with Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), will appoint an Accredited Representative to take part in the investigation conducted by the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, as reported on its Twitter account.
Up to the tragic event, the aircraft flying from San Fernando was in an “uncertain situation,” said the Air Force spokesman Colonel Marcelo Lorenze. He further said that the Air Force Squadron No. 5 (Helicopters) had begun a search and rescue mission in the Maldonado department.
According to the information, the aircraft disappeared from radar control at 12:43 PM, 20 miles from Curbelo in Maldonado. From that moment on, a search and rescue operation was launched by an Aviocar and a local Air Force helicopter.
Although the causes of the accident are still under investigation, the main theory is that due to adverse weather conditions, the young men decided to descend to an altitude of 1,000 feet in order to have visibility. According to aeronautical experts, to fly from Buenos Aires to Punta del Este there is a “visual corridor,” an aerial route, where a specific altitude must be respected.
Due to bad weather, the pilot would have descended to an altitude of 1,000 feet in order to see land, forgetting or unaware of the height of the hills. Between 2,500 and 3,000 feet are required to cross them. This could have caused the accident.
On the other hand, the last communication the pilot established with the control tower was released. “MDV control, at the moment we are heading toward you (MVD VOR) entering radial 320° about 20 miles out. Inbound instructions, if you would be so kind,” requested the aircraft pilot.
From Montevideo, the control tower replied: “Charly Victor Tango, received Curbelo (PDP) QNH 1-0-0-5, on runway 26 280° 19kt (wind). Fly right past runway 26, report established.”
To this information, the aircraft replied: “Return on basic right and return established, LV-CVT.”
Shortly after the rescue mission began, around 5 PM, the aircraft was found in the Sierras de las Animas. “When the helicopter landed on site, it confirmed the death of the two crew members,” the Uruguayan Air Force confirmed through social networks.
What is known about the aircraft?
It is a Piper PA-24 “Comanche,” a propeller plane with retractable tricycle landing gear, with a four-passenger capacity. The initial information was that there were two crew members on board the aircraft. Their identities have not yet been disclosed.
From Uruguay journalist Marcelo Umpierrez from Subrayado newspaper, provided details about the search operation for the missing aircraft and provided pictures of the moment when the plane was found. “Something was spotted from the air and an Air Force helicopter is descending in the area of Sierra de las Ánimas. Personnel are descending to enter the sighting point on foot,” he said.
He also confirmed that the pilot had requested to drop to 1,000 feet (the equivalent of approximately 300 meters). One of the hypotheses is that the accident was caused by fog or low altitude clouds. “The only sure thing is that it is not flying because it no longer has fuel,” Umpierrez pointed out while the search was underway.
In December 2019, a small aircraft that also took off from the San Fernando Airport crashed on the roof of a house. Fortunately, the 4 Brazilian passengers were unharmed.
The accident occurred during the night, when the aircraft lost control and crashed into a house located on 146 Charlín Street, a few meters from the local airport. One of the assumptions considered by investigators was that the vehicle had run out of fuel.
As reported by the NA agency, the noise of the impact led the neighbors to run out into the street in panic and they saw the light aircraft crashed into the roof of the house. Both the pilot and his crew were assisted by the medical team, but all of them were unharmed.