Central America

After landing on runway 26 at Xalapa-El Lencero Airport, the airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest in a bushy and grassy area. All seven occupants were rescued and the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

On 19th August 2023 at approximately 12:25 pm local (1625 UTC), a Cessna 402B aircraft which was last registered in The Bahamas until 17th July 2022 as C6-SPK (serial number 402B-1054), departed from the Fort Lauderdale International Airport (KFLL), Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA with one (1) person on board enroute to the North Eleuthera International Airport (MYEH), Eleuthera, Bahamas. The aircraft was expected to return to KFLL shortly after 2:00 pm later that afternoon, however, it never arrived at its intended destination. It was reported that at approximately 12:58 pm (1658 UTC), KFLL air traffic control observed the aircraft in a rapid descent from an altitude of approximately 8,400 feet mean sea level (MSL) to about 4,500 feet MSL, while at coordinates 25.84N 78.90W, approximately some 70 nautical miles south east of KFLL, or approximately 18 nautical miles north east of Bimini, Bahamas. The aircraft was not observed on radar after the rapid descent. Upon notification that the aircraft was overdue, search and rescue protocols were initiated with coordination between the United States Coast Guard (USCG), Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), with assistance from the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA). During search and rescue, aerial and marine assets from the US Coast Guard and RBDF responded to areas in vicinity of the last known position of the aircraft, initially identified at coordinates 25.84N 78.90W. An updated position of the aircraft was later provided by the US Coast Guard and identified at coordinates 25°20'35.00"N 76°59'46.00"W, at a distance of approximately 17 nautical miles southwest from MYEH. Assets also searched the updated position with combined search efforts extending up to 21st August 2023. As of the time of release of this report, neither the pilot nor the aircraft has been located.

The twin engine airplane (registration unknown) entered the Mexican airspace without authorization and attempted to land on an remote airstrip located about 40 km west of Tapachula. Following a belly landing on a grassy runway, the airplane veered to the left and collided with palm trees. No one was found on site but Police found a load of about 462 kg of cocaine.

The airplane departed Veracruz-General Heriberto Jara Corona Airport Runway 01 at 2047LT on a private flight to Toluca, carrying one passenger and two pilots. Three minutes later, while climbing at night, it entered an uncontrolled descent until it crashed into the sea off Ciudad de Veracruz. The airplane was destroyed upon impact and all three occupants were killed.

On approach to Flores-Mundo Maya Airport, the crew completed the pre-landing checklist and after the landing gear were selected down, the crew did not receive a down and locked indication. In agreement with ATC, the crew performed two low passes over the airport and ATC confirmed that the landing gear were down and did not notice any abnormalities. After this sequence, the crew decided to land. After touchdown, the right main gear collapsed. The airplane veered off runway and came to rest. All 17 occupants evacuated safely.

The airplane suffered an engine failure in flight and the pilot attempted an emergency landing. The airplane crash landed, lost its undercarriage and came to rest with its left wing and fuselage bent. Both occupants were injured.

The pilot reported that he began the accident flight with 160 gallons of fuel on board. The airplane was equipped with two main wingtip fuel tanks, two in-wing auxiliary fuel tanks, and one engine nacelle locker fuel tank. His normal procedure was to operate for 50 minutes out of the main tanks, then use most of the fuel in the auxiliary tanks, then transfer fuel out of the locker tank and use all of that fuel. While approaching the destination airport, he attempted to transfer fuel from the locker tank; however, he later noticed that fuel was not transferring from that tank. Later, the right engine lost all power, followed by the left. He subsequently ditched the airplane in the ocean about 17 miles from of the destination airport. The airplane landed on the water, and the pilot and his passengers donned life vests and egressed before the airplane sank. The occupants were rescued about 4 hours later. The airplane was not recovered from the ocean and was presumed substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the fuel system could not be performed and the reason for the pilot’s inability to transfer fuel from the engine nacelle locker tank could not be determined.

The crew departed Celaya-Capitán Rogelio Castillo Airport in the early afternoon on a positioning flight to Saltillo. Contact was lost while the airplane was flying at FL260. It entered an uncontrolled descent and apparently disintegrated in a uninhabited area located near Venado. Both occupants were killed.

The airplane departed Palenque Airport, Chiapas, on a private flight to Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. While on approach at an altitude of about 2,000 feet at night, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the sea some 28 km southeast of the destination airport. The accident occurred three minutes prior to ETA. Few debris and two dead bodies were found two days later. On board were the German businessman Rainer Schaller, founder of the fitness chain 'McFit', his wife, two children and a friend.

After takeoff from runway 35 at Saltillo-Plan de Guadalupe Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 800 feet, the crew encountered technical issues with the right engine that lost power and started to vibrate. The crew reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in bushes about 4,5 km northwest of the airport and came to rest. Both pilots were uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.