A Saudi trainee pilot died when the plane he was flying crashed shortly after taking off from Riyadh’s Al-Thumamah Airport, Saudi Arabia’s Aviation Investigation Bureau said on Tuesday.
“The initial information indicates that the aircraft (Tecnam) took off from Al-Thumama Airport at about 6:30 a.m., with its pilot, a Saudi ‘trainee pilot,’ aboard a training flight,” the bureau said in a statement.
“Five minutes after takeoff, a mayday (distress call) was sent out from the pilot shortly before the connection was lost.”
The pilot was the only person onboard.
A search team was sent by the academy to the site of the crash to investigate the cause and circumstances, the bureau said, adding that the wreckage was located 5 kilometers north of Al-Thumama Airport.
The airport is located about 29 kilometers from the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
تعرضت طائرة خفيفة صباح اليوم لحادث بعد إقلاعها من مطار الثمامة وعلى متنها قائد الطائرة فقط والذي توفى من جراء الحادث. تم إرسال فريق لإجراء التحقيق لكشف ملابسات ومسببات الحادث.
— مكتب تحقيقات الطيران (@AIB_KSA) August 16, 2022
