NewsRescue
Yesterday, a light aircraft caught fire and crashed into a roadway in central Chile, killing the pilot and wounding three others on the ground, according to local officials.
According to Chile’s General Directorate of Civilian Aeronautics, an Ayres Trush S2R-T aircraft operated by Air Andes SPA crashed on a highway near the Panguilemo airstrip in Talca at 4:30pm local time while conducting a firefighting mission.
It was later revealed that the pilot, the sole occupant on board, died as a result of injuries incurred in the accident. It sent sympathies to his family.
The Crisis 24 website stated that traffic in the area had come to a full halt. The cause of the tragedy remains unknown.
Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media, displaying the propeller aircraft flying at extremely low altitude above the roadway. The plane then collided with a high-voltage power line with one of its wings, losing control and spilling fluids from its fuselage. As the plane spun, it exploded into a flame and smashed into the asphalt, sending columns of black smoke into the air.
The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) identified the deceased pilot as Fernando Solans, a Spanish national who was assisting with firefighting efforts. It further stated that three people on the ground were injured in the crash.
The organisation stated that Solans had joined the ranks of “martyrs who have given their lives to safeguard the heritage of our country and protect the lives of its inhabitants.”
Chilean President Gabriel Boric also offered his sympathy. “Every year, thousands of individuals undertake the arduous yet heroic work of combating forest fires. “Today, we must mourn the death of pilot Fernando Solans, who served with [CONAF],” he posted on X (previously Twitter).
