The captain who piloted the F-18 in Zaragoza recovers after being operated on and protests arise over this type of exercise

The F-18 that crashed at the Zaragoza Air Base this Saturday was flown by Captain Daniel Pérez Carmona, an experienced 15th Wing instructor with more than 1,000 flight hours.

When jumping with a parachute, he was able to save his life, but, as a result of the impact with the ground, he suffered, in addition to burns on his arms, a fracture of the pelvis and lumbar vertebrae, as well as an ankle fracture, although none of them were life-threatening. , of which he is recovering in the ICU of the Miguel Servet Hospital after having undergone surgery.

Meanwhile, the Air Force has reported on its Twitter account that “there is an investigation underway to find out the causes of the accident” and there have been reactions against said flights in the vicinity of populations.

PROTESTS ABOUT THE EXERCISES

The Bardenas Reales Anti-Firing Range Assembly has indicated this Sunday that, “although fortunately there have been no deaths and we wish the speedy recovery of the injured pilot, the F18 fighter from the Zaragoza air base that crashed in the vicinity of the capital Aragonese, puts on the table the danger posed by the exercises carried out with said aircraft”.

It adds that the intensification of military practices carried out in the Campo de San Gregorio “is a clear example of the increase in war tension that has been aggravated since the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. A good part of the war is being waged in the airspace and we are convinced that the tests carried out at the Shooting Range are no stranger to this”.

Said assembly warns “of the enormous military spending as well as the danger that the population around the Bardenas are running” and calls for participation in the March to the Bardenas Shooting Range for its dismantling, which will take place on the 4th of June.

For its part, Chunta Aragonesista (CHA) has announced that it is going to request explanations in the Senate for the accident of the fighter and denounces that a third of the municipal area of Zaragoza is destined for military use.

Chuaquín Bernal, candidate for mayor of Zaragoza for CHA, has warned this Sunday “of the inconveniences that the proximity of this military base and the San Gregorio maneuver field to the city poses for the residents.”

For these reasons, Bernal has announced the presentation of an initiative in the Senate through Carles Mulet, senator from Compromís, to ask the Government of the Spanish State.

They want me to clarify the circumstances in which the accident occurred, the security measures adopted, and whether the protocol for this type of activity is planned to be reviewed, especially if it takes place near densely populated urban centers.

Likewise, the CHA candidate recalled that “a third of the municipal area of Zaragoza is currently destined for military use, without any type of compensation for the effects caused to the municipality, both to the planning of the environment and to security and welfare of its inhabitants.

It adds that CHA demands “the demilitarization of the air base and the dismantling of the San Gregorio maneuver field and its return to the city.”

Pérez Carmona, an experienced pilot

Captain Pérez Carmona has been a pilot in the Air Force for 15 years and 11 months and has a complete military and university training. Likewise, it has belonged to the State Aviation Safety Agency since 2018 and is also a civil drone operator.

According to his Linkedin profile, after going through the General Air Academy and leaving as an officer of the Air Force in 2012, in 2016 he attended the Tactical Leadership Programme, and his training is completed with a master's degree in Aeronautical Management from the Autonomous University from Barcelona.

Just eight days ago, Pérez Carmona himself told the official YouTube channel of the Air Force what these types of exhibitions are like and how they are carried out step by step.

In the video you can see the captain exercising the dangerous maneuvers and explaining what each acrobatic technique consists of, such as those that were about to cost his life for reasons that are still unknown.

When the accident occurred, Captain Pérez Carmona was rehearsing the exhibition maneuvers scheduled for June 10, the day the open house for families is held at the Zaragoza Air Base facilities.

It is a day in which up to three hundred people can congregate in which a meal and games are organized for children. According to Heraldo de Aragón, the practice of the flight was being witnessed by colleagues of the captain and base personnel who watched astonished as the aircraft crashed.