RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After learning of the accident, volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel arrived at the scene to provide first aid. The victims were identified as Major Gustavo Rafael Velazco Acosta, Lieutenant Andrea Larissa Cubilla Aguayo and Petty Officer Gustavo Ramón Arzamendia Rolón.
The fourth crew member, Deputy Sergeant Antonio Ariel Martínez Cabrera, was taken to the Central Military Hospital and is in critical condition.
So far, the causes of the accident are unknown and the Air Force Command ordered the opening of an investigation in order to shed light on what happened.
“We have established a flight safety and accident prevention plan. In aviation nothing happens by chance, there is always a chain of events that leads to an accident. There is a flight safety plan that specifically seeks to interrupt this chain of events in order to prevent accidents. We have a flight safety department. We have a team that comes in monthly for this type of situation, so when this happens, we automatically isolate the site to prevent contamination and then we prepare a preliminary report, after which the investigation begins,” the Commander said.