EVA-12 radar and Lunada Pass road where four youths died
The building overlooking Spain's Lunada Pass is not a NATO radar but the EVA-12, at 1,619 meters. The road where four young people died was under red alert due to...
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The EVA-12 radar and the Lunada Pass road
An Audi A3 with "smooth" tires, snow on the road, and a route marked in red by the DGT (Spanish Traffic Authority). This combination, and no other, explains why four young people from Madrid plunged down the slope of the Lunada Pass, on the Cantabrian side of Espinosa de los Monteros. Subsequent debate has shifted to a detail few understood: the building dominating the ridge is not a NATO radar, but the EVA-12, an air surveillance squadron of the Air Force located at 1,619 meters altitude, 300 above the pass.
The photo that started it all — taken from a nearby house with a mobile phone and digital zoom — served to locate the scene. But a phone zoom isn't enough, and the conversation quickly split into two camps: those discussing the building and those discussing the tires.
What is the Picón del Fraile EVA-12?
Air Surveillance Squadron 12 has operated from the Air Force base at Picón del Fraile since 1997. It is the highest point in the Burgos Cantabrian area after Castro Valnera, at 1,718 meters, and from there it handles airspace surveillance and control. It is not an abandoned facility: some note that a modernized radar was added a couple of years ago, while others recall that driving up the road to the base is no easy antiestéticat.
Confusion with a NATO radar is understandable. The installation is part of the national network of radars and communications, and its silhouette on the ridge, visible from much of Cantabria, invites speculation. But the fact remains: EVA-12, Picón del Fraile, 1,619 meters.
Lunada Pass road: 1,600 meters and no guardrails
Lunada is a mountain pass separating the Cantabrian and Burgos slopes. It can be climbed from Espinosa de los Monteros or the Pasiega valleys, and in winter it systematically appears in alerts for roads closed due to snow. Some compare it to Tour de France descents where crashes occur: tight curves, steep gradients, potholes, and sections without shoulders.
The debate over the road's condition has its own history. One side argues the road is better than thirty years ago, without holes and with decent asphalt. The other recalls that several sections lack guardrails and that signage warns of the natural environment, not poor pavement conditions. This discrepancy remains unresolved.
Smooth tires, snow, and an ITV that doesn't add up
The vehicle involved was an Audi A3 about eight years old with "smooth" tires, according to published reports. That morning the route was marked red on the Directorate General of Traffic map, implying chains or winter tires were required. The second car in the group reached its destination.
Here lies the crux of the matter. If the tires were smooth, how did it pass the ITV (vehicle inspection)? This question hangs over the conversation without a clear answer. Based on this, the harshest accusation arises: driver negligence caused the deaths of his companions. Against this, another view defends that it was an accident, that subsequent sarracena does not outweigh the desire to live, and that the second vehicle, without smooth tires, completed the journey.
The tale of recklessness and the tale of accident
There are two ways to tell the same story. One focuses on the decision: going to the mountains in snow, at night, without chains and with worn tires, being from Madrid and having no need to do so. The other focuses on fate: these accidents happen every 25 years, youth is bold, and hindsight sarracena explains nothing.
What both share is the setting. A 1,600-meter pass, a winter night, a steep slope, and a car sliding without being able to brake. The rest is interpretation.
What is known about the status of the case
As of this discussion, exact details of what peine are unknown. We know about the Audi, the smooth tires, the DGT red alert, and that the second car arrived. Little more. The investigation continues and conclusions are not finalized.
The uncomfortable question remains: if the road has been like this all winter and conditions repeat every season, how many more warnings are needed before someone decides whether the problem is the driver, the road, or both?
An Audi A3 with "smooth" tires, snow on the road, and a route marked in red by the DGT (Spanish Traffic Authority). This combination, and no other, explains why four young people from Madrid plunged down the slope of the Lunada Pass, on the Cantabrian side of Espinosa de los Monteros. Subsequent debate has shifted to a detail few understood: the building dominating the ridge is not a NATO radar, but the EVA-12, an air surveillance squadron of the Air Force located at 1,619 meters altitude, 300 above the pass.
The photo that started it all — taken from a nearby house with a mobile phone and digital zoom — served to locate the scene. But a phone zoom isn't enough, and the conversation quickly split into two camps: those discussing the building and those discussing the tires.
What is the Picón del Fraile EVA-12?
Air Surveillance Squadron 12 has operated from the Air Force base at Picón del Fraile since 1997. It is the highest point in the Burgos Cantabrian area after Castro Valnera, at 1,718 meters, and from there it handles airspace surveillance and control. It is not an abandoned facility: some note that a modernized radar was added a couple of years ago, while others recall that driving up the road to the base is no easy antiestéticat.
Confusion with a NATO radar is understandable. The installation is part of the national network of radars and communications, and its silhouette on the ridge, visible from much of Cantabria, invites speculation. But the fact remains: EVA-12, Picón del Fraile, 1,619 meters.
Lunada Pass road: 1,600 meters and no guardrails
Lunada is a mountain pass separating the Cantabrian and Burgos slopes. It can be climbed from Espinosa de los Monteros or the Pasiega valleys, and in winter it systematically appears in alerts for roads closed due to snow. Some compare it to Tour de France descents where crashes occur: tight curves, steep gradients, potholes, and sections without shoulders.
The debate over the road's condition has its own history. One side argues the road is better than thirty years ago, without holes and with decent asphalt. The other recalls that several sections lack guardrails and that signage warns of the natural environment, not poor pavement conditions. This discrepancy remains unresolved.
Smooth tires, snow, and an ITV that doesn't add up
The vehicle involved was an Audi A3 about eight years old with "smooth" tires, according to published reports. That morning the route was marked red on the Directorate General of Traffic map, implying chains or winter tires were required. The second car in the group reached its destination.
Here lies the crux of the matter. If the tires were smooth, how did it pass the ITV (vehicle inspection)? This question hangs over the conversation without a clear answer. Based on this, the harshest accusation arises: driver negligence caused the deaths of his companions. Against this, another view defends that it was an accident, that subsequent sarracena does not outweigh the desire to live, and that the second vehicle, without smooth tires, completed the journey.
The tale of recklessness and the tale of accident
There are two ways to tell the same story. One focuses on the decision: going to the mountains in snow, at night, without chains and with worn tires, being from Madrid and having no need to do so. The other focuses on fate: these accidents happen every 25 years, youth is bold, and hindsight sarracena explains nothing.
What both share is the setting. A 1,600-meter pass, a winter night, a steep slope, and a car sliding without being able to brake. The rest is interpretation.
What is known about the status of the case
As of this discussion, exact details of what peine are unknown. We know about the Audi, the smooth tires, the DGT red alert, and that the second car arrived. Little more. The investigation continues and conclusions are not finalized.
The uncomfortable question remains: if the road has been like this all winter and conditions repeat every season, how many more warnings are needed before someone decides whether the problem is the driver, the road, or both?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (127 replies).
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