Major update on Majorca plane crash as bodies of pilot and boy, 13, recovered from sea

A major update has been issued following the plane crash into the sea in Majorca on Saturday (August 2) evening. An emergency response got underway after the incident at sea at Port Soller was reported at 8.20pm near Cap Gros between Soller and Deia. The two-seater biplane took off from the Binissalem aerodrome at around 6pm on Saturday, it is believed, and footage was taken of it doing aerobatics. As of 10.42pm, the wreckage had been found but it had not been confirmed how many people were inside the aircraft.

However, at 1pm on Sunday, it was announced that the bodies of the pilot and his 13-year-old son had been recovered and taken to Puerto Soller. The pilot is said to have been American and a specialist in military and aerobatics flights. The Guardia Civil spoke to a number of witnesses, and a local resident who was at sea with his family told officers he saw the plane flying very low. It passed around 49 to 65 feet above them before crashing into the water and then sinking.

Remains of the plane were located at a depth of around 98 feet. Parts of it had come to the surface by Sunday morning, along with documentation and some personal belongings.

A boat with a powerful spotlight aimed at the water guided divers in the recovery of the bodies.

On the Wings of Aviation reported on X: "Plane crash in Majorcan waters. An F4 Raider acrobatic plane that had taken off from the small Binissalem airfield crashed just 100 meters from the port of Soller, in Mallorca. Witnesses claim to have seen the plane performing numerous aerobatics before violently crashing into the water.

This news comes as it becomes apparent that British tourists who regularly visit Majorca have begun to abandon the holiday island in favour of more welcoming destinations. A wave of protests across Spain, including Majorca, has seen tourists told to "go home" and that "your paradise is our nightmare" by angry locals who have found major faults with the island's current tourism model. This model, residents argue, prioritises holidaymakers over residents who are now suffering from unaffordable housing and overwhelmed infrastructure.

However, in blaming foreign visitors for the housing crisis and the strain on public services, some residents in the Soller Valley - which relies on tourism for its economy - are now worried that the message may have been headed. One hotel owner told the Majorca Daily Bulletin: "We've scared the tourists away. I wouldn't want to spend my holidays in a place where I don't feel welcome."

Express readers have revealed that they are beginning to choose holidays elsewhere. One wrote: "My daughter and her partner are in the lucky position of being able to holiday in Majorca three or four times a year. They love it there. They were contemplating buying a retirement apartment (for the future). Now with the protests, all this has changed. They not only cancelled their September holiday, but also their Christmas and New Year visit and are now looking to Crete or Corfu, places which STILL welcome and appreciate tourists."