The aircraft that crashed into the waters off Puerto Soller on Saturday afternoon was seen by numerous witnesses before it crashed into the sea, about a hundred metres from the lighthouse located in the port, in Es Cap Gros. Emergency calls were made by several people who saw the light aircraft crash, flying very low over the sea, where it crashed violently and tragically at around 8 p.m. on Saturday.
According to an aircraft and aerobatics expert familiar with the accident area, where aerial manoeuvres and displays of this type are common, “the pilot was very experienced and professional, with a long career flying F18s; but even so, manoeuvres over water are more complex than over land; it is very difficult to get your bearings with the sea,” he explains.
Numerous sailors and shopkeepers on the seafront saw the ill-fated aircraft before the accident. It was performing some of its best-known aerial manoeuvres, although it is true that in some of the stunts it came very close to the water, according to several witnesses who spoke to the Guardia Civil. The 60-year-old pilot had made two separate flights, one in the morning and the other, with his 13-year-old son, at around 6 p.m. Several boats saw the aircraft overhead and filmed the seconds before impact.
“It has not been confirmed whether a “mayday” distress call was made, because if so, it would indicate a possible engine failure or fuel failure. When the engine fails at that altitude, at 300 kilometres per hour, the impact is brutal; there is even more chance of making a forced landing on land. In the water, you stick; the most likely scenario is that you capsize as soon as you hit the water, which is the most common occurrence, and the plane quickly sinks,” explained the aerobatic pilot.
The time of the accident, shortly before sunset, may also have been a factor in the tragic accident: “These planes are designed for aerobatics, but they can also malfunction. The imminent sunset may have caused a reflection in the canopy that could have affected the pilot,” he concludes.