A military C-101 jet, on a training flight that left Murcia San Javier on Thursday, crashed into a field in the town of Meco, near Madrid, before it was scheduled to return to San Javier as part of a routine training flight.
Two military officers, a Captain and Lieutenant Instructor, who have not yet been named until their families have been notified, were killed in the crash.
Update: The pilots are named as Captain Julio Castellón, born in Madrid in 1977, and officer Eduardo Castillo, from Tenerife, serving his fourth year at San Javier.
The 112 emergency centre received a call at around 11:00am and officers from the Guardia Civil were quick to attend, along with emergency ambulances and the fire service. Human remains were all that were found at the wreckage, located in a field near the Alcalá-Meco prison, around 40 kilometres from Madrid.
Investigators state that the saw the two occupants tried to eject from the aircraft as their parachutes were deployed. The wreckage was spread over a wide area and forensic teams were meticulously collecting the evidence to allow investigators to ascertain the cause of the tragedy. It was thought that one of the pilots survived the initial impact, but both were confirmed as dead.
The C-101 training aircraft is the most popular choice for trainee pilots, having been operational for around 30 years and seen around 2,000 pilots successfully make the transition to become air force pilots. It has a top speed of 770 kilometres per hour at 8,535 meters and can accommodate a pilot and a student.
Similar to the Hawk in build and design, it is built entirely in Spain by CASA and its reliability, ease of use, low cost of operations and comprehensive instrumentation make it a very suitable aircraft for flight school and acrobatic flights, according to the Air Force. The aircraft is used in display by the Patrulla Águila, the Spanish equivalent to the British Red Arrows.
http://www.theleader.info/article/34023/spain/national/san-javier-trainer-and-cadet-killed-in-plane-crash/
