|
An air tragedy rocked Brazil this week. The important cattle businessman Garon Maia and his 12-year-old son, Francisco, affectionately known as Kiko, lost their lives in a plane crash on the border between the states of Rondonia and Mato Grosso on July 29 . The twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 58 plane (valued at $1,200,000), flown by the boy, crashed in a dense forest area, five minutes after taking off from Vilhena airport, Rondonia. The remains of the aircraft and the bodies of the father and son were located the day after the tragic event. The aircraft took off at 5:50 p.m., crashed eight minutes later, and then disappeared from radar , according to authorities. “The plane crashed very close to the plowed land, it did not have time to land,” said a family employee. The Maia family is known in Brazil for its long tradition in the agricultural industry. The patriarch, Braulino Bas?lio Maia, also known as Garon Maia, was one of the country’s most prominent farm entrepreneurs in the last century, founding more than 50 farms and maintaining an average herd of 40,000 head of cattle. Aviation, like farming, has been a constant passion in the Maia family . The patriarch was a pilot and owner of an air taxi company. Garon Maia, following in his father’s footsteps, was also an experienced pilot. Days after the funerals, Garon’s wife and Francisco’s stepmother, 27-year-old Paula Pridonik, committed suicide days after the accident.
Posted by CZ |
ABR Group