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Date Published: 16/10/2023

British man, 26, dies during flying lesson in Almeria

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The light aircraft went down over the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

British man, 26, dies during flying lesson in Almeria

Two young men, one of them a 26-year-old British citizen, died during a flying lesson on Tuesday October 10 when their aircraft crashed into a hill in Cerro del Fraile, within the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in Almería.

The British trainee flyer has not yet been named but the pilot has been identified as 24-year-old Rafael Ricote. He worked as an instructor at Malaga-based aviation school ‘One Air Aviation’.

It’s understood that the plane took off from the Axarquia region of Malaga before stopping briefly at the El Alquián airport in Almeria at 8.30pm. From here, the pilots departed in the direction of Valencia at 9.30pm, at which time the base reported the aircraft was operating “normally”.

However, just a few minutes later, the plane disappeared from the radar, although no mayday calls were made, and the Valencian airport raised the alarm.

Almeria airport remained open throughout the night to help in the search and the crashed plane, along with the two bodies, were eventually found at the foot of a steep slope in Cabo de Gata at around noon the following day.

A spokesperson for the emergency response coordination centre confirmed: “An emergency call was received around 12.30am from Valencia Airport indicating contact had been lost with a light aircraft in the area around Cerro del Fraile.

“The caller indicated the plane belonged to a flight training school in Malaga and was heading to Valencia with two people on board.

“Firefighters were immediately alerted as well as police forces including the Civil Guard and National Police, coastguards, civil protection workers and other responders.

“Fire crews subsequently confirmed they had found the bodies of two people in a difficult-to-access area around Cerro del Fraile.”

In other news: Widow of bouncer killed at restaurant of former TOWIE star plunges to her death in Malaga

Images: Guardia Civil

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