Site Flores, Guatemala Crew 6 Survivors 0 Injuries (nonfatal) 0 Location Flores | Passengers 87 Fatalities 93 (all) Date 18 January 1986 Operator Aerovías | |
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Aircraft type Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III Summary Controlled flight into terrain Destinations Mundo Maya International Airport, Flores, Guatemala Similar 1986 Sudan Airways F, LIAT Flight 319, Aeroflot Flight 892, Grand Canyon Airlines Fl, 1986 British Internatio | ||
The 1986 Aerovías Guatemala air crash occurred on 18 January 1986 and involved a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III that crashed into a hill on approach to Santa Elena Airport, Flores, Guatemala after a short flight from Guatemala City's La Aurora International Airport. All 93 passengers and crew on board were killed, making it the worst air disaster in Guatemalan history.
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Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III built in 1960. It was converted to a series 6N standard in 1962. SAETA purchased the aircraft in 1975. Aerovías in Guatemala leased it from SAETA in 1985 in response to the increasing number of tourists visiting Guatemala.
Accident
This 40-minute flight was taking Guatemalan and foreign tourists from Guatemala City to Santa Elena Airport, in Flores, some 170 miles (274 km) northeast of Guatemala City. Flores is a common staging point for visits to the ancient Maya city of Tikal. The aircraft took off on Saturday morning at 7:25 local time from La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City with 87 passengers and 6 crew on board. After approximately 30 minutes the aircraft was cleared to land at Santa Elena Airport. However the first approach was too high and the aircraft overshot the runway. On its second approach the aircraft crashed and caught fire about 8 km from the airport. The control tower's last contact with the crew occurred at 7:58, 33 minutes into the 40-minute flight, with no reports of any anomalies. The accident killed all 93 people on board: 87 passengers and 6 crew members. The aircraft was completely destroyed in the accident.
Cause
An investigation carried out into the crash was unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. Low cloud cover may have caused the pilots to lose orientation and crash.