“It seems that a piece of metal was worth more than the nine lives the plane carried.”

That thought disturbed the mind of Pedro Sanabria, friend and neighbor of co-pilot David Albandoz, one of those killed in the WC-130 crash of the National Guard of Puerto Rico that claimed the lives of nine Puerto Rican soldiers last Wednesday in Savannah, Georgia.

And, as he says, Albandoz had informed him the day before the tragedy, that he did not wanted to board the WC-130 Hercules plane because it needed serious repairs.

“I sent a text to him to find out how everything was and he told me he had a good scare, because that plane had landed miraculously when it took him from Nashville, Tennessee, to Savannah, Georgia, which is a short flight. The plane was already in bad shape and it was depressurized.

In tears he recalled that David told him that “he did not wanted to fly on that plane … it was in very bad shape”, during the stop he called his wife, who couldn’t answer the call.

“When they arrived in Nashville they had little time and could not meet his wife … He had a warning voice, suggested that they shouldn’t fly on that plane, that they should disarm it and take it on trucks to Arizona … It seems that a piece of metal was worth more than the nine lives the plane carried, “he questioned.

Albandoz, second lieutenant with 16 years of service and who lived in the city of Madison, Alabama, is survived by his wife Nicky and their three-year-old daughter.

The names of the nine fallen Airmen are:

Maj. José R. Román Rosado – Pilot – 18 years of service – from Manati, PR. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Maj. Carlos Pérez Serra – Navigator – 23 years of service – from Canóvanas, PR. He is survived by his wife, two sons and daughter.

1st Lt. David Albandoz – Co-Pilot – 16 years of service – from PR, recently residing in Madison, Alabama. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Senior Master Sgt. Jan Paravisini – Mechanic – 21 years of service – from Canóvanas, PR. He is survived by two daughters and son.

Master Sgt. Jean Audriffred – 16 years of service – from Carolina, PR. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Master Sgt. Mario Braña – Flight Engineer – 17 years of service – from Bayamón, PR. He is survived by his mother and daughter.

Master Sgt. Víctor Colón – 22 years of service – from Santa Isabel, PR. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Master Sgt. Eric Circuns – Loadmaster – 31 years of service – from Rio Grande, PR. He is survived by his wife, two step-daughters and son.

Senior Airman Roberto Espada– three years of service – from Salinas, PR. He is survived by his grandmother.

The Puerto Rico National Guard will continue to support the families for as long it takes.