A private plane heading to pick up St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina in Texas crashed just minutes after taking off in the Dominican Republic, killing the pilot and co-pilot.
The US-registered Gulfstream G200 Galaxy executive jet had taken off for Austin when the crew reported problems on board, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency return to the airport Sunday.
It crashed in a massive fireball, killing the pilot and co-pilot, the only people onboard, officials said. Neither was immediately identified.
Molina addressed the crash in an Instagram post.
“My condolences to the pilots and their families,” he wrote. “This plane was on its way to pick up me, my family, and friends in Texas to return to Puerto Rico. This is all so heartbreaking.”
The aircraft declared an emergency as it was 16 nautical miles southwest of La Romana International Airport, and lost stability when it tried to return safely to its point of origin, according to Listin Diario.
“The US-registered aircraft, registered to an executive aviation company, had its two crew members on board: the pilot and co-pilot. No passengers were reported,” the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) stated in a press release.
Video of the wreckage shows the jet completely engulfed in flames on the runway, an enormous pillar of black smoke rising into the air as it burned.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, including fire and rescue services teams who attempted to douse the flames and secure the area.
Dominican authorities said they were launching an investigation into the cause of the crash with help from specialized agencies, including what exactly caused the failure that resulted in the emergency landing.
Molina spent his entire playing career with the Cardinals from 2004 to 2022. The 10-time MLB All-Star catcher won two World Series with the team in 2006 and 2011 and is a nine-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner.
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