Pilots involved in plane crash with more than 20 deaths in Bolivia are arrested

Bolivian Air Force plane crashes in La Paz region The pilot and co-pilot of a military plane that was involved in an accident in February in Bolivia, leaving more than 20 people dead, were detained by the police. They are being investigated for the crime of manslaughter. The information was passed on this Saturday (2) by media outlets in the country. The incident with the Bolivian Air Force (FAB) aircraft occurred on February 27 at El Alto airport, about 15 kilometers from La Paz. The plane left the runway and reached an avenue, where it ran over civilians. Prosecutor Favio Maldonado told the Unitel television channel that the Public Ministry issued the arrest order on Thursday (30) and that it has already been carried out. The pilot and co-pilot gave statements on Friday. Bolivian Air Force plane suffered an accident in El Alto, in the region of La Paz REUTERS/Claudia Morales The authority defends the thesis that “at the time of approach there was instability” which resulted “in a long landing”. An investigative commission from the Bolivian Air Force reported, this Thursday (30), that the accident occurred due to air traffic control communication failures, crew errors and an electrical storm with rain and hail. The aircraft landed on its front landing gear, a maneuver that made it difficult to use the brakes. “This accident could have been avoided,” said Colonel Ricardo Alarcón, president of the FAB investigative committee, at a press conference. The aircraft with eight crew members was carrying a load of banknotes in national currency from the Central Bank of Bolivia, equivalent to 60 million dollars (R$309 million, in February exchange rates). After the accident, hundreds of pedestrians threw themselves into the wreckage to collect the notes, which were later canceled by the State.

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