Caracas

A twin engine training plane operated by the Venezuelan Navy crashed few days ago. One pilot was killed while the second escaped with minor injuries. Funerals were organized by the Armada Venezolana and a Casa 212 was chartered to carry the coffin to Santa Barbara. On board were soldiers, officers, friends and family members of the deceased pilot. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and was cleared by ATC to divert to Mérida-Alberto Carnevalli Airport. Few minutes later, while cruising in clouds, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 55 km from Mérida Airport. A passenger was injured while 22 other occupants were killed. The passenger who survived was the second pilot on the first accident few days ago. He survived two crashes in a week.

On June 20, 1990, at 04:51 Atlantic standard time (AST), a Piper PA-31, YV2200P, registered to and operated by Juan A. Zeley, crashed near New Town, Andros Island, Bahamas, while on a business flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Caracas, Venezuela. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The Venezuelan registered airplane was destroyed. The pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, who held a Venezuelan commercial pilot certificate was fatally injured. The flight originated at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort, Lauderdale, Florida, on June 20, 1990 at 04:05 AST.

After takeoff from Caracas-Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. In limited visibility, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Junquito located near the village of La Sabaneta, about 25 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all 25 occupants were killed, among them several civilians.

Crashed in unknown circumstances.

Few minutes after takeoff from La Carlota-Francisco de Miranda Airbase in Caracas, en route to Porlamar, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Caracas. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

The four engine airplane departed San José-Juan Santamaría Airport at 1400LT on a cargo flight to Caracas, carrying one passenger, three crew members and a load of 16,330 kilos of frozen meat. While in cruising altitude over the Caribbean Sea, the airplane plunged into the sea in unknown circumstances, about 65 km east of Bocas del Toro, Panama. SAR operations were initiated but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the airplane nor the four occupants was found.

The twin engine airplane was performing a flight from Puerto Cabello to Caracas on behalf of the Venezuelan Government. While approaching the Francisco de Miranda AFB, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing on a highway located in La Araña, about nine km west of the airport. Upon landing, the airplane struck few cars and came to rest. Four occupants were injured while four others were unhurt. No one was hurt on the ground.

While descending to Lajes Airport, the crew encountered very poor weather conditions and limited visibility due to the night, low clouds and heavy rain falls. On short final, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the top of a hill located 1,500 metres short of runway 16 threshold and crashed in flames. The aircraft was destroyed and all 68 occupants were killed, among them members of the Venezuelan choir Orfeón Universitario who were flying to Barcelona, Spain, to take part to an international festival. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with heavy rain falls and winds gusting to 30 knots after the hurricane 'Emmy' passed over the Azores Islands that day.

The four engine airplane was completing a cargo flight from Lima to Caracas when it crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous and wooded area located near the Shanisu River, about 400 km north of Lima. All six crew members were killed.

Four minutes after takeoff from runway 05 at Maturín-Quiriquire Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 1,500 meters, the airplane went out of control, entered a dive and crashed in a field located about 20 km from the airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 75 occupants have been killed.