Two people died Thursday when the cargo plane in which they were riding crashed into Torrecillo Lagoon in Carolina, Puerto Rico, near San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marin international airport.
Authorities identified the crew as pilot and owner of the plane Uriel Bristol, 67, and Anthony Tavarez, 45, who had been working for two years for the Jet One Express air cargo firm.
The accident occurred shortly after Bristol and Tavarez took off from the Luis Muñoz Marin airport about 7 a.m. in the Convair 340, which was manufactured in the 1950s.
The plane’s destination was the island of Santa Cruz and its cargo consisted of food produced by the Holsum company.
The pilot relayed an “Alert 2” to the control tower signifying an emergency, which could be due to “problems with the brakes, an open door or with the control system,” said airport administrator Arnaldo Deleo.
He said that Bristol told the control tower after communicating the alert that he would try to return to the airport, but before the plane could be turned around and landed it crashed into the lagoon.
Deleo said that the airport’s main tower never heard the pilot declare an “Alert 3,” which indicates that an aircraft has been involved in an accident.
He said that Jet One Express makes 15 trips a week with two aircraft from the island’s main airport.
In addition, Deleo said that the type of plane involved in the crash requires regular maintenance, although a company employee told reporters that Bristol had been advised that the aircraft was missing one engine.
Also, Port Authority director Bernardo Vazquez said that the agencies tasked with investigating the crash said that the plane crashed as a result of “a mechanical breakdown.“http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/uploads/images/article-images/Puerto_Rico_Cargo_Plane_Crash_Kills_Two.jpg
