A private jet that was on its way to pick up former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina crashed shortly after takeoff in the Dominican Republic, killing the pilot and co-pilot on board.
The aircraft went down Sunday near La Romana after stopping in the Dominican Republic to refuel before continuing to Texas.
The Associated Press reported that the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation said no passengers were aboard and that both crew members were U.S. citizens.
Molina later said on social media that the plane was headed to pick up him, his family, and friends before flying them back to Puerto Rico.
The Plane Had Stopped to Refuel Before Heading to Texas
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Officials said the aircraft had departed from Puerto Rico, landed in the Dominican Republic to refuel, and then took off again for Texas.
The pilot and co-pilot reported an emergency shortly after leaving the Dominican Republic, according to AP.
Molina and his group were not on the plane.
The Crew Tried to Return After Reporting an Emergency
TMZ reported that the aircraft was a Gulfstream G200 Galaxy and that video showed the plane trying to return to the airport before it crashed.
Dominican aviation officials have not publicly released the cause of the emergency.
The crash remains under investigation.
Molina Shared Condolences for the Pilots
Molina addressed the crash in a social media post after learning the plane had gone down before reaching him.
“My condolences to the pilots and their family!” he wrote, according to AP.
The post made clear why the flight was tied to Molina, while the confirmed loss remained the two crew members who died before the plane reached Texas.
The Crash Reached Baseball Fans Quickly
Molina spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he became one of the franchise’s defining modern players.
The crash reached sports audiences quickly because the plane was reportedly traveling for Molina’s group, but officials said the aircraft had no passengers when it went down.