Plane Went Down Into The Ocean During 'Air Show Of The Caribbean'

Two pilots were fatally injured Sunday when the airplane they were flying appeared to fail to recover from a maneuver and go down in the ocean during the "Air Show of the Caribbean" being held along the Santo Domingo waterfront in the Dominican Republic.

In a video posted on YouTube, the plane pulled up and rolled inverted, but failed to recover from the dive following the maneuver. The pilot rolled upright, and the aircraft impacted the water in what appeared to be a normal attitude

The two were aboard a Chilean-made Pillan aircraft taking part in a three-ship maneuver, according to a report appearing in Dominican Today. The accident occurred about 3:00 pm local time.

The plane reportedly impacted the water about 1,500 feet off shore and sank within a minute. The Dominican Air Force identified the pilots as Second lieutenants Rafael Eduardo Sanchez,27, and Carlos Manuel Guerrero, 25. General Ramon Hernandez said that the area where the plane went down was "quite deep."

The two pilots were recovered from the wreckage later that day by military divers. The Associated Press reports that the remainder of the event was cancelled after the accident.

FMI:  http://dominicanrepublic.com/, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhePi6ncmhw