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René González Sehwerert, president of the Cuban Aviation Club (CAC), publicly defended his organization and the pilot involved following the death of 12-year-old Alejandro in a paragliding accident in the Isle of Youth on Saturday, July 5.
The minor, a resident of the Abel Santamaría neighborhood, was participating in a tandem flight at Minint beach, in the area of Cayos Los Monos, when a strong gust of wind pushed the aircraft out to sea, necessitating an emergency landing approximately 500 meters off the shore.
In attempting to free himself from the harnesses in the water, the pilot lost control over the passenger. According to the official statement from CAC, the minor "disappeared before he could be rescued."
His body was found around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, July 7, after more than 21 hours of intensive search.
In response to public upheaval, González issued a statement to downplay institutional responsibility.
"It is the first fatality of the CAC in 15 years, during which 60,000 tandem skydives have been made," he wrote, adding that during that period "thousands of paramotor and paragliding flights were conducted, including hundreds involving minors."
He also justified the pilot's decision to release the harnesses, arguing that "the removal of the harnesses is essential to assist the passenger in the water, as the equipment could drag both of them if it is not released."
González urged caution before making judgments, pending the conclusion of the investigation into whether the safety protocols were followed.
However, their version was publicly denied by the aeronautical community, which documented at least four prior fatalities in Cuban air sports between 2022 and 2023.
The Facebook page Lovers of Cuban Aviation identified the victims: Fabián Batista Hidalgo, who died in a paragliding accident in Santiago de Cuba in December 2022; Raidel Cobas, in skydiving in March 2023; along with Miladis Ríos Góngora and Edelio Varona Pino.
The Cuban Parachuting Federation itself contradicted González's narrative by declaring that "the aerial sports community is in mourning," a phrase that suggests familiarity with previous tragedies, not an unprecedented event.
González, a former spy of the Red Avispa who was convicted in the United States for espionage in the 1990s and designated a Hero of the Republic upon his return to Cuba, has presided over the CAC since his return to the island, the governing body for air sports in the country.
A joint commission from the CAC and the Cuban Institute of Civil Aeronautics (IACC) departed on Tuesday, July 8, to the Isle of Youth to assess the legal, technical, and safety elements of the flight, although the results of that investigation have not yet been published.
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