A small aircraft crash in northern Mexico claimed the lives of television presenter Débora Estrella and her flight instructor over the weekend, according to local authorities, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
The accident occurred on Saturday in García, a municipality in the northeastern state of Nuevo León. Officials confirmed that the plane went down in the Parque Industrial Ciudad Mitras shortly after takeoff.
Debora Estrella deja un vacío en la Televisión. Abogada y conductora de noticias. Entusiasta siempre. Disciplinada y de regia postura. Compartimos el pan y la sal, la charla y la pantalla. Te voy a extrañar.
Descanse en Paz. pic.twitter.com/QzzYG7pISI [2]— Jorge Zarza🇲🇽 (@jzarzap) September 21, 2025 [3]
Video captured from the ground shows the aircraft flying at a low altitude before plummeting rapidly and striking the ground. Both Estrella, 43, and her instructor, identified as Bryan Leonardo Ballesteros Argueta, were killed instantly.
#URGENTE [4] | 🚨 | Tras el desplome de una avioneta la tarde de este sábado, se confirmó la muerte de Débora Estrella, conductora de noticias de Multimedios Televisión. En el accidente perdieron la vida dos personas.#QEPD [5] pic.twitter.com/zOZjP2Q892 [6]
— POSTA México (@PostaMexico) September 21, 2025 [7]
Estrella was best known as a presenter on Teledario Matutino, a Mexican morning news program. Hours before the crash, she shared a post on Instagram from Aeropuerto Internacional del Norte in Apodaca, where the lesson began.
“Guess what?” she wrote in Spanish, alongside a photo announcing the start of her flight training.
👩✈️✈️ Débora Estrella inició formación como piloto previo al accidente que le arrebató la vidahttps://t.co/1qbVWlknCF [8] pic.twitter.com/mkWzzLMyxB [9]
— El Diario de Coahuila (@DiarioCoahuila) September 22, 2025 [10]
Local officials reported no additional injuries on the ground despite the crash taking place in an industrial area. Emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene, but both occupants of the aircraft were already deceased.
Según testigos, la avioneta donde viajaba la conductora de Telediario, Debora Estrella, andaba haciendo mamadas en la zona de García, Nuevo León, de repente la vieron volar muy bajo y después se estrelló. Murió ella y el piloto Bryan Ballesteros. #PandaNews [11] pic.twitter.com/CnOiez7BYk [12]
— Panda del Amor (@PandaDelAmor19) September 21, 2025 [13]
The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash. The state prosecutor’s office is also conducting its own inquiry.
Authorities have not yet released information on whether mechanical failure, weather conditions, or pilot error contributed to the fatal incident.
The tragedy has drawn attention across Mexico, with colleagues and viewers expressing condolences following Estrella’s death. Her network has not yet issued a public statement.