Mexican television presenter Debora Estrella, 43, was killed Saturday, September 20, when the small aircraft she was using for a flying lesson crashed in the municipality of Garcia, Nuevo Leon. Her flight instructor, 22-year-old Bryan Leonardo Ballesteros Argueta, also died in the crash.
The accident occurred around 6:50 p.m. when their two-seater Cessna aircraft went down near the Parque Industrial Ciudad Mitras. Video footage captured from the ground shows the small plane flying at high speed and low altitude before plummeting to the ground.
Hours before the fatal crash, Estrella had posted an Instagram photograph from Aeropuerto Internacional del Norte in Apodaca, showing the aircraft she would be using for her lesson. According to the post, she wrote “Guess what?” in Spanish, sharing news of her upcoming flying lesson.
Emergency crews responded to the crash site but confirmed both occupants died instantly upon impact. No other injuries were reported by local officials. Civil Protection teams found the wreckage with no signs of life from either person aboard the aircraft.
Garcia Mayor Manuel Guerra Cavasos confirmed the tragedy on social media, stating he was at the crash site where it was determined that a light aircraft had crashed into the ground, killing two people near the customs site. The crash occurred near an industrial complex in the northeastern Mexican state.
Estrella had been working as a presenter for Multimedios Television since 2018, hosting the popular morning program Telediario Matutino in Monterrey. She was also a familiar presence on Milenio Television news segments and fronted weekend broadcasts of Telediario in Mexico City through Channel 6.
Her network, MULTIMEDIA, released a statement expressing shock and deep sorrow over the loss of their colleague. The company noted that Estrella had been running the Morning Telediario in Monterrey since 2018 while also taking on roles in other news programming across the network’s platforms.
The presenter’s final social media post from earlier that day showed her smiling in the studio wearing a black outfit with the caption “Buenos dias.” This was posted hours before she departed for what would become her fatal flying lesson.
Colleague Maria Julia Lafuente expressed the newsroom’s grief, noting that Estrella had planned to obtain a pilot’s license. Lafuente emphasized how much Estrella would be missed, describing her as a woman who lived life to the fullest and always gave her all to her work.
Estrella’s former partner, journalist Jose Luis Garcia, initially reported the crash on social media without knowing she was aboard the aircraft. Garcia had posted about a plane crash near the industrial complex Ciudad Mitras in Garcia, noting that Civil Protection in Nuevo Leon confirmed two fatalities.
The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics and the state prosecutor’s office have opened investigations to determine the cause of the crash. Early reports suggest the aircraft may have suffered a mechanical failure, though official findings have not been released.
Tributes poured in from colleagues, viewers and admirers across Mexico following news of Estrella’s death. Fellow presenters described her as a bright presence in the newsroom and praised her professionalism and warmth. Fans filled her social media pages with messages of grief and disbelief.
Beyond her television career, Estrella was known for her charitable work, often supporting campaigns for children’s education and women’s empowerment. Friends described her as fearless and adventurous, characteristics that made her decision to learn flying a natural extension of her spirited personality.
The crash investigation continues as aviation authorities work to determine what caused the aircraft to lose control during what should have been a routine training flight. The incident has shocked Mexico’s television industry and the viewing public who knew Estrella through her morning news broadcasts.
