Boeing 737 crashes after takeoff in Cuba

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

Actually, it's older than that. It was actually a -200, built in 1979. The initial identification was wrong.

As Indy said "its not the age its the mileage" but for an airliner being used to for commercial service that's pretty old (Heck Ive seen 737-600's sitting in the boneyard) . Also that type of aircraft is unlikely to make US/EU noise standards so it makes sense it would be leased to a Cuban Airlines.

The aircraft underwent an unknown type of inspection in November, and was returned to service. At least one witness said that the aircraft was on fire just before the crash. The three survivors were women, one between 18 and 25, one in her 30s, and the third 39.

www.bbc.com...

A statement from Mexico's Transportation Department identified the pilot and co-pilot as Capt. Jorge Luis Nunez Santos and first officer Miguel Angel Arreola Ramirez. It said the flight attendants were Maria Daniela Rios, Abigail Hernandez Garcia and Beatriz Limon. Global Air said maintenance worker Marco Antonio Lopez Perez was also aboard.

abc7chicago.com...

According to the same article, this aircraft was stopped from flying charter flights last year over safety concerns, including overloading.

On the flight were 10 priests and spouses from the Nazarene Church. They were returning from a retreat in Havana.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
On the flight were 10 priests and spouses from the Nazarene Church. They were returning from a retreat in Havana.

Very sad. Up to 20 Priests now: www.newsweek.com...

a reply to: carewemust

It's confusing because they say "20 pairs of priests", and then turn around and say "10 priests and their partners".

The Cuban government has confirmed that they have recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder, and it's in good condition.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Boeing is sending a team to assist at the request of the US government. A pilot who flew for the airline until 2013 said he reported multiple safety issues with the aircraft, including engine problems, but the airline passed a safety audit in November. The Transportation Minister of Guyana said the aircraft that crashed was barred from their airspace last year because the crew was allowing overloading of baggage on flights to Cuba.

www.wsj.com...

ty for keepin in the know......unprecedented.....a pilot complaint big time talking with the manufacturer representative in another desperate nation.

with aircraft we need to follow the rules, like any game.....without rules.....there is no game

that's what you do.....throw expertise at the projects, huh!!

A 23 year old survivor passed away yesterday afternoon. A 19 year old and a 39 year old are both still listed in critical condition.

Mexico has suspended the operating certificate of Damojh/Global Air. They are planning a review of the company to determine if they're in compliance with the law.

Video showing just after impact has surfaced. It shows the early stages of the fireball rising above the treeline.

globalnews.ca...

A video has emerged that shows the last second before impact with the ground. That plane was completely out of control.

Definitely gets filed under "departed the envelope of controlled flight".

my freakin nitemare.....what broke? empanage prolly,

rudder full right and elevator whacked full up or down, not load shiftin

checked the vidoe.....dang tail section is out of position, soab nitemare

The second of three survivors has passed away. The death toll is now at 112. There were 99 Cuban passengers on board, five were foreign, and the six crew on board were Mexican.

Both recorders have been found. At least one witness said they were trying to return to the airport and clipped a power line.

That was pretty much a dead drop!!!Did it clip powerlines on takeoff?

Significant weight and balance calculation errors were a major contributing factor in the accident. According to the paperwork, there were 62 passengers in the forward cabin, which had capacity for 54. The cargo weight was off, and there were 5,000 lbs more fuel loaded than what showed in the calculations. Investigators recalculated and found the takeoff weight was actually 104,000 pounds, as opposed to the 99,900 calculated.

More importantly, the center of gravity was calculated at 17.4% initially, but the recalculation put it at 28.5%. The 737 has a permissible operating limit of 29%. The elevator trim was off by 2 units as well.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

Sitting on laps? I mean that some Ryan Air seating right there.