A Cessna S550 Citation S/II private jet crashed in the El Volcán sector of the El Hatillo municipality, south of Caracas, Venezuela, on January 29, 2025. The crash reportedly resulted in the deaths of all three people onboard.
Local media reported that the government-owned Cessna S550 Citation S/II business jet, registered as YV3561, crashed shortly after taking off from Caracas’ La Carlota General Francisco de Miranda Air Base. According to FlightAware.com data, the aircraft departed from runway 11 at SVFM and began climbing in a right-hand turn before descending into a wooded area approximately seven kilometers south of the airbase.
The aircraft was owned by Venezuela’s Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace. Tragically, all three crew members onboard lost their lives. Videos captured by local residents circulated on social media showing a fire ignited by the crash.
The cause of the accident remains unknown. OneSpotter reported that the aircraft was a 39-year-old Cessna Citation II powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 engines. It joined the Venezuelan Ministry of Interior’s fleet in 2016 after being operated by several US operators.
In related incidents involving private jets over recent months:
In late December 2024, a Piper PA-42 Cheyenne piloted by Luiz Claudio Galeazzi crashed shortly after takeoff from Canela Airport in Brazil. The crash resulted in ten fatalities and injuries to seventeen people on the ground. Governor Eduardo Leite stated: “I deeply regret the accident and highlight the immediate action of the security forces in attending to and rescuing victims… Now we need to officially identify victims and investigate conditions.”
On January 31, 2025, another incident occurred when a Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed near a shopping center in northeast Philadelphia shortly after take-off. This accident claimed six lives onboard and one person on the ground while injuring nineteen others due to an explosion and ensuing fires.
Early investigations suggest that catastrophic engine failure or bird strike may have contributed to this Philadelphia accident.
