Flight Safety Information August 16, 2010 - No. 165 In This Issue Jetliner crashes on Colombian island; 1 killed Plane crash due to bad weather in Colombia kills one... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jetliner crashes on Colombian island; 1 killed AP - A plane that crashed lays in pieces along the runaway at the airport on San Andres island in Colombia, ... BOGOTA, Colombia - A Boeing 737 jetliner with 131 passengers aboard crashed on landing and broke into three pieces at a Colombian island in the Caribbean early Monday. The region's governor said it was a miracle that only one person died. Colombian Air Force Col. David Barrero said officials were investigating reports the plane had been hit by lightning before crashing at 1:49 a.m. (3:49 a.m. EDT; 0649 GMT) while landing at San Andres Island, a resort island of 78,000 people about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of the Nicaraguan coast. San Andres Gov. Pedro Gallardo said 125 passengers and six crew members had been aboard, but the only person killed was Amar Fernandez de Barreto, 65. At least five people were reported injured. "It was a miracle and we have to give thanks to God," the governor said. Barrero, commander of the Caribbean Air Group, said by telephone from San Andres that "the skill of the pilot kept the plane from colliding with the airport." Barrero said the 7,545-foot (2,300-meter) runway had been closed because parts of the plane were still scattered across it. The Aires jet had left the Colombian capital of Bogota at about midnight. Police Gen. Orlando Paez said by telephone that a group of police officers who had been waiting at the airport for the plane to take them back to the Colombian mainland aided in rescuing the victims. ***** Date: 16-AUG-2010 Time: 01:49 Type: Boeing 737-73V Operator: Aires Registration: HK-4682 C/n / msn: 32416/1270 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 127 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: San Andrés Island Airport (ADZ/SKSP) - Colombia Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Bogotá-Eldorado Airport (BOG/SKBO) Destination airport: San Andrés Island Airport (ADZ/SKSP) Narrative: Aires Flight 8250 crashed on landing in a storm. One occupant died, 114 were injured and six were unharmed. Weather around the time of the accidet (01:49 local, 06:49 UTC): SKSP 160500Z 07006KT 9999 FEW016 SCT200 29/26 A2990= SKSP 161100Z 00000KT 9999 FEW013CB SCT080 27/25 A2985 RMK LTNG/CB/E= www.aviation-safety.net [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103617543663&s=6053&e=0014X_wxrKeLMsJLt4uDJsKsD4zmojQWNpGmR8ppbdxEk6GT4scDYARmloR8fyQTjq4cjeeYELbMiwevMc-HOgKtopnvIoVgpIOR3MHVog_ZJ-j9qEhIAH8FDko2f7CMNzt] Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Plane crash due to bad weather in Colombia kills one The Aires airline 737-700 jet lies in pieces after crashing early Monday on the Colombian island of San Andres. (CNN) -- One passenger was killed when an airplane crashed in bad weather and split into two when landing early Monday on the island of San Andres, Colombia, officials said. The precise number of injured remained unclear Monday morning, but the national police said only six of at least 127 people aboard the plane were not hurt. There also were conflicting reports as to how many people were aboard the Aires airline 737-700 jet when it crashed around 1:49 a.m. (2:49 a.m. ET). The Colombian national police initially said the flight had 131 people -- 121 adult passengers, four minors and six crew members. A list the police later released, however, indicated 127 people on board -- 121 passengers and six crew members. The passenger list included six Americans, five French, four Brazilians, four Costa Ricans and two Germans, said Col. Hector Carrascal, director of navigation services at the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority. Police identified the woman who was killed as Amar Fernandez de Barreto. The passenger manifest, which goes by last name first, lists a Barreto Fernandez Paola Andrea. There also was conflicting information about what caused the crash. The initial report from the national police said a downdraft may have shaken the airplane as it prepared to land. But Pedro Gallardo, the governor of San Andres y Providencia state, told CNN en Español that lightning hit the plane. The pilot also reported a lightning strike, El Tiempo newspaper said. A storm was reported in the area but not at the airport, Carrascal said. The accident occurred about 260 ft (80 meters) before the start of the runway, Carrascal said. Wreckage was spread about another 328 feet (100 meters) on the runway, officials said. Photographs of the airplane on the runway show it split in two, with the nose and first eight rows of seat pointing in one direction and the rest of the aircraft almost pointing in the opposite direction. The flight had taken off from Bogota, Colombia's capital, shortly after midnight, police said. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Article Headline Know your target audience. Who are your most important customers, clients or prospects, and why? Know what is important to them and address their needs in your newsletter each month. Include a photo to make your newsletter even more appealing. Inserting a link in your article lets you track which topics attract the most interest. Back to Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC