A disgruntled former employee posted cryptic messages on his WhatsApp before crashing a small plane into a warehouse where he used to work in Argentina.
Dramatic video showed Juan Manuel Medina, 46, flying a Cessna 152 directly into the Air Liquide facility in Rosario last Friday, where he died instantly.
The plane crashed into a concrete column where flammable gases are stored and miraculously there was no explosion.
Medina was hired by Air Liquide, which supplies oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen to medical facilities, in July 2023 and was reportedly fired in March due to a staff reduction, Channel 3 reported Monday.
Juan Manuel Medina died Friday in Rosario, Argentina, after flying a Cessna 150 directly into the Air Liquide depot, where he was fired in March. The 46-year-old shared a selfie before the crash with a caption in Spanish that read: “To the big liars.”
A Cessna 150 was seen crashing into the facilities of the company Air Liquide, which provides oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen to medical centers, in Rosario, Argentina. The plane was piloted by Juan Manuel Medina, who was fired from the company in March.
On Friday at 9:39 a.m., he posted the iconic World War II image of a cloud forming over Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 9, 1945, after the United States dropped a bomb.
She had also shared a selfie with a caption in Spanish that read: ‘To the big liars.’
Medina later visited the Rosario Aeroclub, where he was an active member, and rented the aircraft, which is used primarily for flight training and personal use.
It took off at approximately 11:30 a.m. and crashed into the warehouse around noon.
Medina had more than 500 hours of flight time and renewed his pilot’s license four months ago.
The newspaper Clarin reported that he had a first-class license that allowed him to fly aircraft weighing up to 44,092 pounds, but he could not operate planes over residential areas.
“Medina was a commercial pilot and aerial applicator, that is, a pilot who is dedicated to launching chemical products from an airplane,” a member of the Rosario Aeroclub told the newspaper.
“He had a lot of experience. He had his psychophysical certificate, renewed annually, valid until April 2025. He complied with all the regulations of the club and of the ANAC (National Civil Aviation Administration).”
The flying club member recalled seeing Medina inspecting the small aircraft before it took off.
“He is seen carrying out the pre-check (of the plane) in a normal manner, loading fuel with another pilot from the club, checking oil as well. And 20 minutes after takeoff, the first videos appear on the networks,” they indicated.
Juan Manuel Medina made a cryptic post on his WhatsApp status on Friday morning, sharing the iconic World War II photo of a cloud of smoke billowing over Nagasaki, Japan, after the United States dropped an atomic bomb.
Juan Manuel Medina rented the Cessna 150 at the Rosario Aeroclub and was seen by one of the members inspecting the small plane before it took off at 11:30 am and crashed half an hour later at the Air Liquide facilities.
Juan Manuel Medina had a valid pilot license that expired in April 2025
Jorge Martinez told television channel El Tres that he had served as Medina’s flight instructor in the past and never saw any warning signs.
“He flew with me in 2018, a short retraining flight, and he asked me to come back in 2019. A very good pilot,” he said.
Mariel Ortega, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, told La Nación newspaper that Medina may have deliberately crashed into the warehouse.
Some witnesses told the newspaper they saw Medina flying in circles around residential neighborhoods moments later.
A woman who dated Medina 10 years ago told Telefe that she initially did not know he was behind the accident after one of her students shared the news.
“I knew he worked there and that he was a pilot, but I wasn’t sure how old he was,” Marisa said. “We stopped dating ten years ago, he was a very unpredictable person.”
