A plane crash has been captured on video, with footage showing the aircraft striking the ground and skidding along for several metres before erupting into flames.
Local media has reported that the flight was en route to Austin, Texas, in the United States before declaring an emergency approximately 16 nautical miles south-west of La Romana, and diverting back towards the airport.
Crew members aboard the doomed aircraft reported mechanical problems during take-off and, as a result, turned around and made their way back to the airport for an emergency landing.
The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash and ensuing explosion.
The devastating incident claimed the lives of both crew members on board, according to Dominican newspaper El Día. They have been named as American nationals Erick Javier Diago and Rudy Ghazal. No passengers were reported to be on board.
In the footage, a white business jet is captured travelling at considerable velocity along the ground near the runway, generating enormous clouds of dirt and dust as it deviates from its course. Sections of the fuselage can be observed starting to separate under the tremendous force.
Seconds later, flames suddenly erupt from the rear portion of the aircraft. As the plane continued to slide and break apart, the fire sparked a more substantial explosion.
The footage concludes with the wreckage consumed by flames and a vast plume of dense, black smoke rising into the sky above the airport grounds, while emergency vehicles race towards the burning remains of the aircraft to tackle the blaze.
The aircraft has been identified by Dominican aviation officials as a GALX with US registration number N318JF, which was returning to La Romana International Airport in the south-eastern Dominican Republic, reports the Mirror.
The US-registered private jet was a Gulfstream G200; a medium-to long-range executive jet manufactured in 2004 by Israel Aircraft Industries. As per aviation records seen by the Mirror, the aircraft belonged to Aibonito Aviation LLC, a private aviation company based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Dominican Civil Aviation Institute and the country’s Aviation Accident Investigation Commission confirmed emergency protocols were activated and investigators are working to establish the cause of the crash.
