Pilot, three govt workers survive after plane crashes, breaks in half
A pilot and three passengers were able to walk out unscathed after their small jet crash landed and broke in half on a highway in Panamá.
The shocking incident took place Monday afternoon while they were flying over the Panamá City town of El Dorado.
Three government health workers, a 36-year-old man and two women, aged 41 and 45, were taken to an area hospital and were said to be in good condition. One of them complained on knee pain.
The pilot, captain Arquimedes Vargas, did not require medical attention.
Surveillance video showed the Cessna 172 rapidly descending over a row of trees moments before it slammed onto the road near a school.
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A video recorded by one of the passengers showed the pilot attempting to maintain control of the aircraft’s yoke prior to the emergency landing.
Loud screams could be heard from everyone aboard the plane just before Vargas avoids incoming traffic on the highway lane and crashes.
Moments later, one of the two men helps lead the two women away from the airplane wreckage.
Panamanian authorities reported that the plane had taken off from the indigenous province of Guna Yala but did not say where it was headed to.
The accident caused the temporary suspension of service at Albrook Gelabert Airport in Panamá City.
The Civil Aeronautic Authority opened an investigation into the accident.
