LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic — A fatal Gulfstream G200 crash at La Romana International Airport (LRM/MDLR) on June 7, 2026, killed two pilots. The aircraft, registered N318JF and owned by Aibonito Aviation LLC of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was attempting an emergency landing when it veered off the runway and was destroyed by fire. Both pilots were U.S. citizens. No passengers were aboard.
Emergency Declared Shortly After Departure
The Gulfstream G200 had departed La Romana’s runway 11 on the afternoon of June 7, bound for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, according to Dominican aviation authorities and Aviation Safety Network. Approximately 16 nautical miles southwest of the airport, the two-pilot crew declared an in-flight emergency and requested an immediate return to La Romana.
Dominican authorities and public flight-tracking records indicate the crew made multiple orbiting turns over and around the airport before lining up for a landing. At least one approach was broken off before the crew committed to a final attempt — this time on runway 29, the direction opposite their departure heading.
Runway Excursion and Fire
Video footage captured by airport witnesses shows the aircraft arriving on runway 29 under apparent duress. According to Aerotime and meteorological data cited by the Aviation Safety Network, conditions at the time of landing included a tailwind component of approximately 8.7 knots — the aircraft was now landing with the wind at its back, opposite the more favorable direction used on departure.
The aircraft veered left off the paved runway surface. The main landing gear collapsed, and the jet slid across the grass bordering the runway. When the wing fuel tanks ruptured, the aircraft erupted into fire and was completely destroyed. Both pilots — identified in Dominican media and aviation records as captain Erick Javier Diago and first officer Ruddy Ghazal — were killed at the scene.
Gulfstream G200 Crash: Formal Investigation Underway
The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) and the country’s Aviation Accident Investigation Commission have formally opened an investigation. Because N318JF was a U.S.-registered aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to participate as an accredited representative under ICAO Annex 13, according to Dominican officials cited by AIN Online.
As of publication, no preliminary report has been publicly released. Authorities have characterized the in-flight event as a severe mechanical issue. Dominican media outlets have separately cited a suspected hydraulic failure and a suspected engine failure — but neither failure mode has been officially confirmed. All causal determinations remain under investigation.
What Investigators Examine in Engine-Emergency Returns
Because the cause of this accident remains undetermined, investigators will assess a broad range of mechanical, operational, and environmental factors. In accidents involving declared engine emergencies and emergency returns to the departure airport, accident investigators routinely examine foreign-object ingestion and wildlife strike among the many potential contributors to powerplant events — alongside fuel system issues, mechanical failures, and crew procedures. No investigating authority has identified any such factor as relevant to this specific accident, and no cause has been established. The investigation will rely on flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder data, physical examination of recovered components, and witness accounts.
FODNews will update this report as IDAC and the NTSB release additional findings.
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