Owner’s Past, Pilot’s Age Raise Suspicion in Rivera Learjet Crash

Mark Phelps

Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 09:58 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A 1969 Learjet 25 crashed, killing singer Jenni Rivera and six others, during what its owner, Starwood Management LLC, described as a final demonstration flight for Rivera's potential purchase.
The twinjet descended from 28,000 feet to the ground in 30 seconds, 10 minutes into the flight, with investigators focusing on mechanical failure or pilot incapacitation involving a 78-year-old PIC and a "green" copilot.
Starwood Management's operations manager, Christian Esquino Nunez, has a significant criminal past, including a drug trafficking conviction and federal prison time for aviation-related charges, forming the company shortly after his release and deportation.

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The 1969 Learjet 25 that crashed in the early morning of December 9, killing singer Jenni Rivera and six others, was owned by Las Vegas-based Starwood Management LLC. But the company said the fatal flight was not a charter. Rather, it was described as a final demonstration flight in anticipation of Rivera purchasing the jet for $250,000.

At the controls were 78-year-old Miguel Perez Soto, PIC, and a “green” copilot, Alejandro Torres. Investigators are focusing on the separate possibilities of mechanical failure and pilot incapacitation. Reports say 10 minutes into the flight from Monterrey, Mexico, to Toluca, the twinjet descended from 28,000 feet to the ground in 30 seconds, traveling only 1.5 miles laterally from the start of the descent to the point of impact.