Two Pilots Die After Gulfstream Jet Overruns Runway During Emergency Landing in Dominican Republic

-registered Gulfstream G200 skidded along the runway at La Romana airport in the Dominican Republic, bounced with its nose raised, and burst into flames, killing both pilots on board. The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation stated that the aircraft carried only the pilot and co-pilot and that no passengers were reported.

Local media identified the pilots as American nationals Erick Javier Diago and Rudy Ghazal.

The jet, registration N318JF and manufactured in 2004 by Israel Aircraft Industries, belonged to Aibonito Aviation LLC of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It had been bound for Austin, Texas. The pilots declared an emergency roughly 16 nautical miles southwest of La Romana and turned the aircraft around in an attempt to return to the airport.

The plane struck the runway with its nose tilted upward, bounced along the tarmac, and erupted into flames, sending a large plume of black smoke into the air. Emergency crews responded immediately. Operations at La Romana airport were suspended while firefighters secured the site.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the mechanical issue and the crash. The incident follows another fatal accident on June 4 near Pula, Croatia. A Beechcraft Bonanza G36 entered a spiral dive from about 980 feet and struck a field near the Kaštijun landfill, killing the Austrian owner and three Austrian passengers.

Tatjana Čemerikić, director of the Istrian County Emergency Medicine Institute, said the condition of those on board made resuscitation impossible. A local television reporter quoted eyewitnesses who described the aircraft flying level before suddenly entering the spiral dive and impacting the ground with a dull thud and no explosion. An investigation into the Croatian crash is continuing.