Crash of a Grumman G-159 Gulfstream GI in El Petén: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 12, 2006 at 2115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
YV-903CP
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Valencia – Barinas
MSN:
173
YOM:
1966
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Valencia-Arturo Michelana Airport at 2103LT on a flight to Barinas, southwest Venezuela. The flight plan was filed at FL220 and should take 35 minutes. En route, the crew reported all OK on board when the aircraft disappeared from radar screens. SAR did not find any trace of the aircraft nor the crew who was considered as deceased. In august 2008, an unconfirmed report mentioned that the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances near El Petén, Guatemala. It seems that aircraft was stolen and the flight was illegal (drug smuggling flight). Due to circumstances, all hypothesis remains still open.

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Hierba Buena: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jul 26, 2005 at 0940 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TG-APG
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Retalhuleu – Cuilco
MSN:
208B-1087
YOM:
2004
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew departed Retalhuleu on a special flight to Cuilco. En route, while proceeding to a mosquito control mission, the single engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances on Mt Pinopa. Both pilots were killed.

Crash of a Let L-410UVP-E3 in Zacapa

Date & Time: Jun 2, 2005 at 1600 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TG-TAG
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
88 20 28
YOM:
1988
Location:
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
15
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Zacapa Airport, the crew encountered technical problems when the aircraft stalled and crashed on a small hill. All 17 occupants were rescued and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Let L-410UVP-E in Guatemala City: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 18, 2001 at 0642 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TG-CFE
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Guatemala City – San Pedro Sula
MSN:
86 17 05
YOM:
1986
Flight number:
ATL870
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Aircraft flight hours:
2467
Aircraft flight cycles:
4001
Circumstances:
After takeoff from runway 01 at Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport, while climbing to a height of 200 feet, the twin engine aircraft rolled left and right then stalled and crashed beside the runway, about 550 metres from its end. The copilot and four passengers were injured while eight other occupants including the captain were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the aircraft stalled during initial climb because the passengers seats were not properly allocated, causing the center of gravity to be outside the permissible limit. The following contributing factors were identified:
- The Atlantic Airlines company, at the date of the accident, did not have sufficiently trained administrative and operational personnel for a safe operation.
- The poor allocation of the passengers inside the cabin affected lift, causing the aircraft to stall. Due to its low height, it was impossible to expect a stall recovery. This shows that the aircraft collapsed completely without move on the ground and being destroyed by the weight of the engines and their wings that were full of fuel.
- Lack of crew training, especially the copilot who was not rated on this type of aircraft. Thus, he was not able to assist the captain in an emergency situation but only reading the checklist.
- The engines were operating normal at the time of impact and they were running in normal takeoff conditions.
- No evidence of mechanical failure was found.
- The accident shows that the aircraft was operating normally, but that due to aerodynamic circumstances, it entered a stall and crashed on the ground abruptly and uncontrollably.

Crash of a Douglas DC-10-30 in Guatemala City: 18 killed

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1999 at 0940 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
F-GTDI
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Havana - Guatemala City
MSN:
46890
YOM:
1973
Flight number:
CU1216
Country:
Crew on board:
18
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
296
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Captain / Total flying hours:
16117
Captain / Total hours on type:
4872.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
8115
Copilot / Total hours on type:
4156
Aircraft flight hours:
85760
Aircraft flight cycles:
27331
Circumstances:
Leased from AOM French Airlines, the aircraft was completing a charter flight (service CU1216) from Havana to Guatemala City on behalf of Cubana de Aviacion, carrying 18 crew members and 296 passengers who were mostly young Guatemalan citizens studying medicine in Cuba. After touchdown on runway 19, the crew started the braking procedure but the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, went down an embankment and eventually crashed onto several houses located in the district of La Libertad. Both pilots, six other crew members, eight passengers and two people on the ground were killed. Also, 57 people were injured (among them 20 on the ground) while 261 other occupants escaped uninjured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration on part of the crew who landed too far down the runway with an excessive speed, between 1,220 and 1,320 metres past the runway threshold. Runway 29 is 2,767 metres long and it was calculated that the landing distance available was reduced by 1,450 to 1,500 metres. The following contributing factors were identified:
- The crew failed to initiate a go-around procedure while the landing procedure was obviously missed,
- An indicated airspeed (IAS) of the aircraft greater than the specified one, with an increase due to elevation and temperature,
- The initial gradient of the track that requires a vertical speed descent, during leveling, May than usual,
- The flotation of the aircraft during the leveling phase (flare), facilitated by the use of the “CWS” mode of the autopilot (procedure approved by the aircraft flight manual), without corrective action by the Commander,
- A probable tailwind component over which there was no exact information provided by the control tower and that was not monitored by the crew, as it was not in their procedures nor did he feel the need to,
- The failure of the crew to immediately start the braking procedure after touchdown, probably caused by a false visual impression of the crew which was facilitated by their lack of prior experience for the approach and landing on runway 19 at the Aurora Airport with this type of aircraft,
- The runway surface condition,
- A tailwind component.
Final Report:

Crash of a Rockwell Shrike Commander 500S in Santa Catalina La Tinta: 6 killed

Date & Time: Sep 16, 1999 at 1130 LT
Operator:
Registration:
TG-RBK
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Guatemala City – Santa Catalina La Tinta
MSN:
500-1809-19
YOM:
1968
Country:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
On approach to a private airstrip located near Santa Catalina La Tinta, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances 300 metres short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were poor with low clouds and rain falls. Thunderstorm activity was reported all along the route.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in Quetzaltenango: 11 killed

Date & Time: Nov 1, 1998 at 1430 LT
Operator:
Registration:
N3FY
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Playa Grande - Quetzaltenango
MSN:
20562
YOM:
1944
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
16
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a humanitarian flight from Playa Grande to Quetzaltenango on behalf of the Living Water Teaching Ministries owned by Jim and Marion Zirkle. On board were 16 passengers and two pilots, among them doctors and a load of medicines and first aid kits for the victims of hurricane Mitch. The approach was completed in poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls and thick fog when the aircraft struck the ground few km from the airport. Seven people were rescued while 11 others were killed, among them Jim Zirkle and his son.
Probable cause:
The crew was approaching the airport under VFR mode in IMC conditions.

Crash of an IAI-1124 Westwind II near Guatemala City: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1997 at 0306 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
YV-160CP
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Lima – Guatemala City
MSN:
211
YOM:
1977
Country:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
While descending to Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport by night, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 14,4 km short of runway. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew descended below the MDA for unknown reasons.

Crash of an Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante in Flores: 14 killed

Date & Time: Nov 1, 1996 at 0810 LT
Registration:
TG-TPA
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Guatemala - Flores
MSN:
110-313
YOM:
1980
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Circumstances:
The approach to Flores-Santa Elena was completed in poor weather conditions. While descending at an altitude of 900 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 8 km from the runway threshold. All 14 occupants were killed, 13 citizen from Guatemala and one Mexican.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 in Cobán: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 16, 1996 at 0656 LT
Registration:
TG-JAK
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Guatemala City – Cobán
MSN:
714
YOM:
1980
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
5644
Circumstances:
The approach to Cobán Airport was initiated in poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to fog. Too low, the aircraft struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located 7,2 km short of runway. Both pilots were killed. They were completing a positioning flight from Guatemala City.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew continued the descent below the MDA in IMC conditions.