We are extremely saddened to share the news that Ivo Daniel Martínez Velásquez died on Saturday, June 29th, 2024 in a plane crash near Toro Toro, Bolivia while flying his personal small acrobatic plane. The DGAC also announced the death of Javier Asin, who was accompanying Ivo on the flight.
Ivo worked with our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Aviation for nearly 2 decades and was the lead pilot for more than a decade, personally flying hundreds of flights annually (and more than half of Mano a Mano Aviation’s flight hours) to provide emergency flights, weekend health clinics, and cargo transport for isolated rural communities throughout Bolivia.
Early Saturday afternoon, when Ivo’s flight did not report, concerned family of Ivo and Mano a Mano staff gathered at the Mano a Mano hangar in Cochabamba, and upon hearing of a crash near Toro Toro we then flew on the Mano a Mano plane to assist with the recovery efforts, where we confirmed the tragic news.
Many of you have been sharing your condolences, which are very much appreciated, as we remember someone that worked hard to make the world a better place, and is gone way too soon.
Our sincere best wishes and condolences to the many friends and family of both Ivo and Javier.
Mano a Mano Aviation
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Aviation shared this on their Facebook page:
Mano a Mano International
These videos feature Mano a Mano’s aviation program, with interviews from Ivo, more than a decade apart:
Mano a Mano Bolivia
Our counterpart organization Mano a Mano Bolivia shared this on their Facebook page:
SAR-Bolivia Filial Cochabamba (Search and Rescue)
Bolivia – Pilot of Hope
From Pascal that filmed a documentary about Ivo as a “Pilot of Hope”: “This loss hurts the many people who had the privilege, like myself, to meet Ivo and the many more he has helped in his life. Ivo was simply the best. Please forward my deepest sympathy to his wife, to his whole family and to the entire staff of Mano a Mano. From the other end of the world, I will always remember him and his ongoing message of hope.”
The documentary is one 53-minute episode (Season 2, Episode 1, “Pilot of Hope” is the Mano a Mano episode) in a series called “On The Wing” featuring pilots working in a variety of challenging conditions throughout the world. This footage was shot in 2017 and was originally released in French; it is available in English on Amazon Prime Video as part of this series.
From the series description:
“Our heroes are physicians, emergency doctors, farmers and, above all, pilots. They carry on their professions in one of these territories at the ends of the earth. We discover these regions that are so difficult to access, that only the airplane can reveal, through the daily work of those who are living an adventure, in close proximity to nature.”
To watch the documentary (the trailer is below): Go to Amazon Prime; search for “On the Wing”; go to Season 2, Episode 1 “Bolivia – Pilot of Hope”
Club Deportivo Jorge Wilstermann
Community of Laguna Sulti Holds Memorial Service for Pilot Ivo Daniel Martínez Velásquez
Laguna Sulti’s community leaders and residents held a memorial service in late July for Ivo Daniel Martínez Velásquez, 30 days following his tragic death.
Bob and I were lucky to meet Ivo Daniel when we visited Bolivia in 2011. Our hearts are broken at the loss of this exceptional person. We send our love to Joan and Segundo and the many who grieve
My heart breaks for the whole Velásquez family and for the good people of Mano a Mano, both in Bolivia and Minnesota. I am not quick to use the word “hero”, but Ivo Daniel’s life was absolutely heroic in an extraordinarily compassionate, courageous way. We are blessed to have met him and to have witnessed his vocation of transforming lives through his skill as a pilot. May God welcome him into the company of all the saints, surrounded by Light Eternal.
Ivo Daniel was a beautful human being. There are no words. I wish I could be there to hold each of his Velasquez family.
So sorry to hear this.