Passengers 12 Survivors 0 Date 14 February 2011 Total fatalities 14 (all) Passenger count 12 | Crew 2 Aircraft type Let L-410 Turbolet Operator Central American Airways Survivor 0 | |
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Summary Controlled flight into terrain Site Santa Ana, Francisco Morazán Department, Honduras Locations Francisco Morazán Department, Santa Ana, Francisco Morazán Similar 2011 Avis Amur Antonov, Aerocon Flight 238, Missinippi Airways Cessna 2, Moremi Air Cessna 208 crash, 2011 Tawang Town Mil | ||
Central American Airways Flight 731 was a passenger flight which crashed on approach to Toncontín International Airport, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on February 14, 2011. All 14 aboard died. The aircraft involved, a Let L-410 Turbolet, was operating Central American Airlines' scheduled domestic service from Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport, San Pedro Sula.
The crash occurred just before 9am. The weather in the area was reportedly poor at the time of the crash. The location of the crash was El Espino, Jurisdicción de Santa Ana, Francisco Morazán Department.
Among the dead were Rodolfo Rovelo, Honduran Assistant Secretary for Public Works, and Jose Israel Salinas, leader of the United Workers Federation of Honduras, Plutarco Molina Castellanos, CEO of Constructora William - Molina . Former Finance Secretary Carlos Chahín was also on board. Additionally, two Americans and one Canadian, Peter Michael Jong, are believed to have been aboard the plane. In response to the incident, the government of Honduras declared three days of national mourning for the deceased government officials. Initially, First Officer Óscar Benjamín Anderson Mejía survived the impact, but died on the way to the hospital due to his severe injuries.
In response to the crash, the Honduran government said it would undertake an investigation into the incident, and rescuers began searching for the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder soon after it crashed. The head of the investigation stated that because the aircraft was European, and not American, it created difficulties as there were very few experienced local pilots and technicians trained to operate on the aircraft.
The accident raised questions about the safety and relocation of the Tegucigalpa Airport. The President of Honduras called for the airport to be relocated, stating that it was impossible to have a major airport in its current location due to the surrounding terrain.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Let L-410UVP-E20 Turbolet, registration HR-AUQ, serial number 912603. It first flew in 1991, and served with a number of airlines before the accident.