Iron Maiden’s plane was badly damaged in an airport accident while taxing in Santiago, Chile on Saturday morning. The band and its equipment were not on board the aircraft at the time of the accident, and were forced to make alternate plans to get to the next stop on their tour in Cordoba, Argentina. The airplane, dubbed “Ed Force One” after the bands mascot, was being towed at the time for refueling at Santiago’s Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. According to reports, a pin that connects the pull bar from the plane to the towing tug came out after the plane had started being moved. This meant that the tug was no longer able to steer the aircraft, and it crashed into the tug that was towing it. This caused severe damage to the planes undercarriage and engines. Two members of the ground crew were reportedly injured in the incident, and were taken to a local area hospital.
Iron Maiden tour will continue as scheduled
The band was in Santiago for a performance at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos Friday night, March 11. Following news of the incident, flight engineers were dispatched to the airport to evaluate the damage. The engineers then reported that the engines suffered severe damage and will most likely need to be replaced. Iron Maiden is making alternate arrangements to get its members and touring equipment to Cordoba in Argentina for the next stop of the tour. The band released a statement that read: “Although this is tragic for our beautiful plane, we do not expect this to affect our concert schedule including the next two shows in Cordoba and Buenos Aires. And we hope to find a new Ed Force One branded airplane to continue this adventure with us in the near future”. There were over 58,000 fans in attendance to see the band perform in Santiago, and more awaiting the upcoming shows in South America. The Chilean Departamento Prevención de Accidentes has opened an investigation into the cause of the accident.
Image from the Iron Maiden Facebook page