A light aircraft has crashed in Argentina, killing all five occupants. The Cessna T206H was allegedly stolen from the Aeroclub de Villa Ángela, a flying club located in Argentina’s Chaco province, and came down shortly after take-off, just 5km from the airfield. The incident took place in the early hours of January 18th.
It is believed that the aircraft ran out of fuel. Two local farm workers, who saw the aircraft lose altitude and burst into flames upon impact, reported the crash to local police. According to eyewitness accounts, one passenger was ejected from the aircraft just prior to impact, and the remaining four died in the subsequent fire.
The Cessna T206H, registered as LV-HKX and built in 2018, belonged to a local cattle rancher, and was valued at around $1.5 million. It is not yet known why the aircraft was stolen, but according to police sources, a pistol and a satellite phone were found among the wreckage of the aircraft.
The ongoing investigation
As the investigation into the incident continues and CCTV footage from the flying club is examined, local prosecutor Sergio Rios told reporters that the identity of the thieves remains unknown, saying,
“In any case, it will be very difficult to learn the identity of each one because the bodies were completely burned. If it had fallen in the city, there would’ve been a tragedy.”
This is the second light aircraft theft in Chaco in recent weeks. At the end of last year, a group of thieves managed to flee to neighboring Bolivia in a light aircraft they had stolen from a flying club in the city of Resistencia, located 87 miles (161 km) east of Villa Ángela. That incident is believed to be linked to drug trafficking.
The Cessna T206H - a versatile light aircraft
The Cessna 205, 206, and 207 are a family of single-engine light aircraft with fixed landing gear. Thanks to a combination of a powerful engine, and sturdy construction, the aircraft has become popular for a wide range of uses, such as observation flights, aerial photography, and skydiving. Some have also been fitted with amphibious floats to be used as seaplanes.
Today, they are commonly used by government and military operators worldwide, including the US Civil Air Patrol, the National Police of Colombia, and the Mexican Air Force.
The Cessna T206H variant, like the one involved in this week’s incident in Argentina, entered production in 1998. The aircraft is authorized to carry up to five passengers and can fly at a maximum altitude of 27,000 feet.
Before ceasing operations in 2017, Yute Air Alaska was one of the largest commercial operators of the slightly larger Cessna 207 aircraft, seating up to eight people in total. The airline had 12 Cessna 207s in its fleet, which it used to operate a variety of scheduled and charter flights, serving remote villages across Alaska.
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