Two pilots were killed after a US-registered Gulfstream G200 crashed while attempting an emergency landing at La Romana International Airport (LRM) in the Dominican Republic on June 7, 2026.
The aircraft, registered N318JF, had departed La Romana bound for Austin, Texas, before the crew declared an emergency and returned toward the airport, according to Dominican aviation authorities.
The aircraft crashed during the attempted return and was destroyed by fire.
The two pilots have been identified in Dominican reports as Erick Javier Diago and Rudy Ghazal. No passengers were reported on board.
The aircraft is a 2004 Gulfstream 200, according to FAA registration records. The FAA lists the registered owner as Aibonito Aviation LLC of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Public flight-tracking data showed the aircraft depart La Romana and initially fly northwest before entering a series of circling maneuvers. The track showed the jet making two apparent 360-degree turns over water, making one aborted landing attempt, and then continuing inland and making several additional circles before returning toward La Romana.
Video of the final seconds shows the aircraft already off the paved runway surface, with a plume of dirt trailing behind it and apparent damage to the main landing gear.
The jet continues along the side of the runway before bouncing into a steep nose-high attitude.
The nose then drops sharply toward the ground. Debris separates from the aircraft as it breaks up, including what appears to be nose landing gear debris and one engine. The wing fails moments later and the aircraft erupts into a large fireball before coming to rest a short distance later.
A windsock visible in the video appears to show a strong tailwind relative to the aircraft’s direction of travel during the final landing attempt. The first landing attempt was into the wind, according to flight tracking data.
La Romana’s airport has a single runway, 11/29, which is 2,950 meters, or about 9,678 feet, long.
