A Gulfstream private jet has exploded into a towering fireball after skidding across a runway during an emergency landing attempt in the Dominican Republic, with two pilots feared dead in one of the most dramatic aviation disasters to be captured on camera in recent years.
Footage of the crash at La Romana International Airport shows the Gulfstream jet touching down on its rear wheels before violently bouncing and erupting into a massive orange fireball that engulfed the aircraft within seconds. The mangled wreckage was left strewn across the runway as emergency crews rushed to the scene, with operations at the airport cancelled as firefighters surveyed the devastation.
The aircraft had taken off from La Romana and was heading to Austin, Texas, when a serious mechanical problem forced the crew to attempt to turn back. Early reports suggest the jet lost stability during the turn before crashing inside the airport terminal perimeter in an impact described as devastating. Local media reported that both pilots on board — the only two people on the aircraft — died in the crash.
The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation confirmed in a statement that the US-registered aircraft, belonging to an executive aviation company, had its two crew members on board at the time of the incident. “No passengers were reported,” the agency said, without releasing the names of those who died.
The Secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Public Safety, Arturo Garffer, said the aircraft “had malfunctions on landing,” adding: “Everything is still preliminary. Apparently, it was crewed by two people.” The director of the Civil Aviation Board, Hector Porcella, told AFP he did not yet know the full details of the accident.
The crashed aircraft was reportedly a Gulfstream G200, a mid-size private jet capable of carrying between eight and 18 passengers. Authorities say a full inquiry is now underway to establish precisely what went wrong in the critical moments before the crash.
