A judge in El Alto ordered six months of pre-trial detention in San Pedro prison for Major Erick R.Z., the pilot of the Bolivian Air Force Hercules that crashed on 27 February. His co-pilot, Captain James R.E., was given house arrest with restrictions. The hearing ended late on Saturday, 2 May.
Both officers were arrested the day before, one day after an aviation accident investigation board delivered its final report. That report found that operational factors and bad weather led to the aircraft going out of control. The charges are culpable homicide and causing injuries through negligence.
What happened on the runway
The C-130 had flown in from Santa Cruz de la Sierra and came down on landing at El Alto International Airport a little after 18.00. The aircraft ran off the runway onto a busy road, hitting vehicles. DW, reporting on the day of the crash, put the dead at 15 and the hurt at 30 or more. The count rose afterwards: according to Correo del Sur, 23 people were killed and 37 injured, with several vehicles wrecked.
The plane carried banknotes for the Central Bank of Bolivia, not yet legal tender. Notes scattered across the road, and DW described locals rushing to grab them while riot police tried to push people back. Opinion later reported that the Central Bank invalidated the affected series of B-series notes, which caused questions and trouble with transactions in different regions of the country.
The case against the pilots
La Paz departmental prosecutor Luis Carlos Torrez said prosecutors had shown enough evidence to support a probability that both pilots were responsible. The court agreed there was a “high probability” they were authors of the offences.
The hearing was only about precautionary measures. Investigations continue, and they extend to the cargo of banknotes the plane was carrying from Santa Cruz to La Paz.
Sources
- Accidente aereo en El Alto: Dictan detencion preventiva para piloto y domiciliaria para copiloto (Correo del Sur)
- Dictan detencion preventiva y domiciliaria para pilotos del Hercules siniestrado en El Alto (Opinion)
- Bolivia: 15 killed in cargo plane crash near La Paz (DW)
Sources
- Bolivian authorities are urgently destroying millions of banknotes after…
- Protests erupt after Bolivian authorities burn cash from plane crash
