A British pilot has died after he crashed his plane into the sea close to Cabo de Palos.
According to the emergency services the dead man is a 61 year old of British origin and a resident of Totana. The body was taken to the port of Cabo de Palos by the pleasure boat that picked it up, where it remained there until the arrival of the forensic.
The body was then taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine, where the autopsy will confirm the cause of death, while the Civil Guard carries out an investigation into the cause of the accident.
The crash occurred just before mid day on Saturday. It was seen by a number of people who were relaxing nearby on the water.
Luis Martínez Escudero was on a paddle surfer as he saw the crash. He made his way quickly to the scene along with a canoeist who had also seen the impact.
“The pilot was practising aerobatics. He carried out several loops but he was very close to the water and just couldn’t pull out. The aircraft hit the water and completely disintegrated.”
“Initially there was nothing, just wreckage, but after five minutes we saw a body floating upside down, we pulled it onto the paddle surf.”
“There was a small motor boat next to us which also came over, we then put the body on the boat and took it to the port”, he said.
Although the flight plan listed only one passenger Marina Rescue and Guardia Civil divers are carrying out an extensive search of the area to ensure there was no one else on board the aircraft.
The mayor of Cartagena, Ana Belén Castejón, on her social media, sent her deepest sympathies to the family of the pilot who was said to be a prominent member of the local community.
