The search for the remains of the F-18 in which Lieutenant Colonel Pablo Estrada Martín lost his life is proving extremely complicated. The strong impact of the plane in the area known as El Hornillo forced us to broaden our scope.
“The wreckage of the plane covered almost a hectare. Fragments were found hundreds of meters away. Peralejos Mayor Carlos López said on Sunday.
As he explains, “the mortal remains of the pilot are searched with dogs” in the hills. López was one of the first to arrive in the region. “We were five kilometers away and we heard the explosion perfectly. We saw the column of smoke rising into the sky and called 112. We quickly mobilized the residents and left a person on site to report the scene of the accident,” he noted.
For the moment, the causes of the incident remain unknown, although The statement of the pilot who accompanied Estrada Martín in another F-18 could be decisive. The same will be true for the remains of the device which can be recovered, although it could take weeks or even months to get answers. So far, what little has emerged is that the 49-year-old lieutenant colonel was flying at around 2,000 feet on a “joint training mission.”
The tragic death of Estrada Martín, father of four children and Experienced soldier of the 12th Wing of Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) With more than 2,000 hours of flight under his belt, he shocked this small town in the province of Teruel of less than a hundred inhabitants, which was already living a similar event 40 years ago now.
The city has been in official mourning since midnight last Saturday. Even though people are now “calm,” the imprint of what happened still lingers. Same Saturday, the city council issued a press release thanking all the neighbors who “turned around” in rescue efforts and extinguishing the fire that caused the accident.
He also confirmed that the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the accident in which the capitanes José Manuel Hernández Ferri and Gonzalo Antonio Gracia Ramos, scheduled for tomorrow Monday, was suspended. In its place, a minute of silence will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. in the Plaza de the Church. All “authorities and neighbors who wish to join” are called to it.
