Aero Caribbean Flight 883 was an international scheduled passenger service from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Havana, Cuba with a stopover in Santiago de Cuba. On 4 November 2010, the ATR 72 operating the route crashed in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spíritus, killing all 61 passengers and 7 crew members aboard. Along with American Eagle Flight 4184 it was the worst crash in ATR 72 history until Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed 12 years later killing 72 passengers and crew.[1]
Aero Caribbean Flight 883
CU-T1549, the aircraft involved, at Baracoa Airport one month before the crash
The aircraft departed Santiago de Cuba en route to Havana around 16:50 local time (20:50 UTC).[2] It was the last flight out of Santiago de Cuba airport before it was closed because of the approach of Hurricane Tomas.[3] At 17:42, the aircraft crashed near the village of Guasimal in Sancti Spíritus province, some 210 miles (340 km) southeast of Havana, after issuing a distress call.[2] Witnesses said the plane was "flying low and appeared unstable ... pouring out smoke and fire", before hearing an explosion.[4]
Medical facilities in Guasimal were put on alert to prepare for emergency patients. However, by midnight they were told to stand down as no survivors were expected.[4]
Aircraftedit
The aircraft involved was a twin-turboprop ATR 72-212 with Cuban registration CU-T1549,[5] in use with Cuba-based Aero Caribbean since October 2006.[4] It was delivered from the production line in 1995 to its first owner, Simmons Airlines and also with Continental Express as the second one.[6] According to the manufacturer, the plane had accumulated almost 25,000 flight hours in more than 34,500 flights.[4] Aero Caribbean was wholly owned by the government of Cuba.[7]
Passengers and crewedit
The captain in command of the ATR was Ángel Villa Martínez, accompanied by the first officer and co-pilot Luis Lima Rodríguez. In the passenger cabin were flight attendants Raciel Echevarría, María Torres, Fara Guillén, Juan Carlos Banderas and Andy César Galano. On board were 68 passengers of different nationalities, most of them Cuban.
The passengers and crew were of the following nationalities:
In order to allow access to the crash site, rescue workers had to use bulldozers to plow through thick vegetation.[13] The aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact and resulting explosion, and all the victims' bodies were badly burned.[14] Investigators believe that the passengers had no time to react because all bodies were found in their own seats, which helped investigators with identifications.[15] The wreckage burned for hours after the crash.[16] The recovered bodies were to be sent to Cuba's Institute of Legal Medicine for identification.[4]
The day after the crash, on 5 November, rescue workers recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. They were turned over to investigators for inspection and analysis.[4]
In December 2010, the IACC stated that the analysis of the flight recorders did not highlight any technical problem with the ATR 72. The airplane encountered severe icing conditions at 20,000 feet (6,100 m), which were not handled properly, leading to the crash.[3]
^ ab"Passenger plane crashes in Cuba". BBC News. BBC. 5 November 2010. from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ ab"Plane With 68 Said to Crash in Cuba". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2010.[dead link]
^ abHradecky, Simon. "Crash: Aerocaribbean AT72 near Guasimal on Nov 4th 2010, impacted ground after emergency call". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ abcdefghij"Plane with 68 said to have crashed in Cuba". Reuters. 5 November 2010. from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^"Aero Caribbean CU-T1549 (ATR 42/72 – MSN 459) (Ex EC-HBU N12903 ) | Airfleets aviation". Airfleets.net. from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
^ ab"Quiénes son los fallecidos argentinos en el accidente" [Who are the Argentine deceased in the accident]. La Nación (in Spanish). from the original on 7 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
^Пассажирами разбившегося на Кубе самолета были граждане 11 стран [Passengers of the plane crashed in Cuba were citizens of 11 countries] (in Russian). Lenta. from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^"3 Nederlanders dood bij crash Cuba" [3 Dutchmen killed in Cuba crash] (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^"Australians killed in Cuba plane crash". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
^ abcd"Relación de fallecidos en el accidente de la aeronave ATR-72-212" [List of deaths in the accident of the aircraft ATR-72-212] (in Spanish). Juventud Revelde. from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^"Rescuers pulling bodies from Cuba plane crash". The Sun Daily. Retrieved 8 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
^. The Gazette. Montreal. Reuters. 5 November 2010. Archived from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
^"Rescue workers remove bodies from Cuba plane crash". Associated Press. from the original on 9 November 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
^Malkin, Elisabeth (5 November 2010). "Cuban Plane Crash Kills 68 People". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
^. BuaNews. 5 November 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ [Condolences after the Cuban plane crash] (in Polish). Office of the President of Poland. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
^"France sends condolences to Cuba over fatal air crash". People's Daily Online. 6 November 2010. from the original on 1 February 2016.
^"ATR statement on Aero Caribbean Flight 883". ATR. Retrieved 5 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
^. Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
aero, caribbean, flight, international, scheduled, passenger, service, from, port, prince, haiti, havana, cuba, with, stopover, santiago, cuba, november, 2010, operating, route, crashed, central, cuban, province, sancti, spíritus, killing, passengers, crew, me. Aero Caribbean Flight 883 was an international scheduled passenger service from Port au Prince Haiti to Havana Cuba with a stopover in Santiago de Cuba On 4 November 2010 the ATR 72 operating the route crashed in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spiritus killing all 61 passengers and 7 crew members aboard Along with American Eagle Flight 4184 it was the worst crash in ATR 72 history until Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed 12 years later killing 72 passengers and crew 1 Aero Caribbean Flight 883CU T1549 the aircraft involved at Baracoa Airport one month before the crashAccidentDate4 November 2010 2010 11 04 SummaryCrashed following loss of control in icing conditionsSiteNear Guasimal Sancti Spiritus Cuba 21 44 39 N 79 28 16 W 21 7442 N 79 4710 W 21 7442 79 4710AircraftAircraft typeATR 72 212OperatorAero CaribbeanIATA flight No 7L883ICAO flight No CRN883Call signAEROCARIBBEAN 883RegistrationCU T1549Flight originToussaint Louverture International Airport Port au Prince HaitiStopoverAntonio Maceo Airport Santiago de Cuba CubaDestinationJose Marti International Airport Havana CubaOccupants68Passengers61Crew7Fatalities68Survivors0 400km250milesToussaint LouvertureInternational AirportJose Marti Crash siteInternational Airport Antonio Maceo Airport Contents 1 Accident 2 Aircraft 3 Passengers and crew 4 Search and recovery 5 Reactions 6 Investigation 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksAccident editThe aircraft departed Santiago de Cuba en route to Havana around 16 50 local time 20 50 UTC 2 It was the last flight out of Santiago de Cuba airport before it was closed because of the approach of Hurricane Tomas 3 At 17 42 the aircraft crashed near the village of Guasimal in Sancti Spiritus province some 210 miles 340 km southeast of Havana after issuing a distress call 2 Witnesses said the plane was flying low and appeared unstable pouring out smoke and fire before hearing an explosion 4 Medical facilities in Guasimal were put on alert to prepare for emergency patients However by midnight they were told to stand down as no survivors were expected 4 Aircraft editThe aircraft involved was a twin turboprop ATR 72 212 with Cuban registration CU T1549 5 in use with Cuba based Aero Caribbean since October 2006 4 It was delivered from the production line in 1995 to its first owner Simmons Airlines and also with Continental Express as the second one 6 According to the manufacturer the plane had accumulated almost 25 000 flight hours in more than 34 500 flights 4 Aero Caribbean was wholly owned by the government of Cuba 7 Passengers and crew editThe captain in command of the ATR was Angel Villa Martinez accompanied by the first officer and co pilot Luis Lima Rodriguez In the passenger cabin were flight attendants Raciel Echevarria Maria Torres Fara Guillen Juan Carlos Banderas and Andy Cesar Galano On board were 68 passengers of different nationalities most of them Cuban The passengers and crew were of the following nationalities Nationality Passengers Crew Total Cuba 33 4 7 4 40 Argentina 10 8 10 Mexico 7 9 7 Netherlands 3 10 3 Australia 2 11 2 France 1 12 1 Germany 1 8 1 Italy 1 12 1 Japan 1 1 1 Spain 1 12 1 Venezuela 1 12 1 Total 61 7 68Search and recovery editIn order to allow access to the crash site rescue workers had to use bulldozers to plow through thick vegetation 13 The aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact and resulting explosion and all the victims bodies were badly burned 14 Investigators believe that the passengers had no time to react because all bodies were found in their own seats which helped investigators with identifications 15 The wreckage burned for hours after the crash 16 The recovered bodies were to be sent to Cuba s Institute of Legal Medicine for identification 4 The day after the crash on 5 November rescue workers recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders They were turned over to investigators for inspection and analysis 4 Reactions editArgentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner sent a plane with relatives of the victims to bring home the bodies 4 Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero 4 South African President Jacob Zuma 17 Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski 18 and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in a message addressing Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla 19 all sent condolences Investigation editThe Civil Aviation Institute of Cuba IACC investigated the accident with assistance from aircraft manufacturer ATR and the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety BEA 20 21 In December 2010 the IACC stated that the analysis of the flight recorders did not highlight any technical problem with the ATR 72 The airplane encountered severe icing conditions at 20 000 feet 6 100 m which were not handled properly leading to the crash 3 See also editAmerican Eagle Flight 4184 TransAsia Airways Flight 791 and West Wind Aviation Flight 280 other ATR 72 s that crashed due to icing Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 an ATR 42 that crashed due to icing in Italy References edit a b Passenger plane crashes in Cuba BBC News BBC 5 November 2010 Archived from the original on 5 November 2010 Retrieved 5 November 2010 a b Plane With 68 Said to Crash in Cuba The New York Times Retrieved 5 November 2010 dead link a b Hradecky Simon Crash Aerocaribbean AT72 near Guasimal on Nov 4th 2010 impacted ground after emergency call The Aviation Herald Retrieved 5 November 2010 a b c d e f g h i j Plane with 68 said to have crashed in Cuba Reuters 5 November 2010 Archived from the original on 8 November 2010 Retrieved 5 November 2010 Ranter Harro Accident description aviation safety net Aviation Safety Network Archived from the original on 8 November 2010 Retrieved 5 November 2010 Aero Caribbean CU T1549 ATR 42 72 MSN 459 Ex EC HBU N12903 Airfleets aviation Airfleets net Archived from the original on 9 November 2010 Retrieved 6 November 2010 Flight International 27 March 2007 a b Quienes son los fallecidos argentinos en el accidente Who are the Argentine deceased in the accident La Nacion in Spanish Archived from the original on 7 November 2010 Retrieved 6 November 2010 Passazhirami razbivshegosya na Kube samoleta byli grazhdane 11 stran Passengers of the plane crashed in Cuba were citizens of 11 countries in Russian Lenta Archived from the original on 6 November 2010 Retrieved 5 November 2010 3 Nederlanders dood bij crash Cuba 3 Dutchmen killed in Cuba crash in Dutch Nederlandse Omroep Stichting Archived from the original on 8 November 2010 Retrieved 5 November 2010 Australians killed in Cuba plane crash Australian Broadcasting Corporation 6 November 2010 Retrieved 6 November 2010 a b c d Relacion de fallecidos en el accidente de la aeronave ATR 72 212 List of deaths in the accident of the aircraft ATR 72 212 in Spanish Juventud Revelde Archived from the original on 9 November 2010 Retrieved 5 November 2010 Rescuers pulling bodies from Cuba plane crash The Sun Daily Retrieved 8 November 2010 permanent dead link Rescuers find black box of crashed Cuban plane The Gazette Montreal Reuters 5 November 2010 Archived from the original on 9 November 2010 Retrieved 8 November 2010 Rescue workers remove bodies from Cuba plane crash Associated Press Archived from the original on 9 November 2010 Retrieved 8 November 2010 Malkin Elisabeth 5 November 2010 Cuban Plane Crash Kills 68 People The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 21 November 2013 Retrieved 6 November 2010 Zuma condoles Cuba after plan sic crash BuaNews 5 November 2010 Archived from the original on 16 July 2011 Retrieved 5 November 2010 Kondolencje po katastrofie kubanskiego samolotu Condolences after the Cuban plane crash in Polish Office of the President of Poland Archived from the original on 28 September 2011 Retrieved 7 November 2010 France sends condolences to Cuba over fatal air crash People s Daily Online 6 November 2010 Archived from the original on 1 February 2016 ATR statement on Aero Caribbean Flight 883 ATR Retrieved 5 November 2010 permanent dead link Flight 883 on 4 November 2010 ATR 72 212 registered CU T1549 Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety Archived from the original on 21 July 2011 Retrieved 5 November 2010 External links editAftermath of the crash from Associated Press Archive Portals nbsp Aviation nbsp Cuba Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aero Caribbean Flight 883 amp oldid 1223771825, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
