Aero Caribbean Flight 883
Encyclopedia
Aero Caribbean Flight 883 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Port-au-Prince
, Haiti
, to Havana
, Cuba
, via Santiago de Cuba
. On 2010, the Aero Caribbean
ATR-72-212
operating the route crashed in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spíritus
, killing all 61 passengers and 7 crew members aboard. It is the joint deadliest accident involving the ATR 72, and the third deadliest aviation accident in Cuba.
, registration CU-T1549, in use with Aero Caribbean since . It was delivered from the production line in 1995 to its first owner, Continental Express
. The Cuba-based company, Aero Caribbean
, was the third owner and bought it in 2006. According to the manufacturer, the plane had accumulated almost 25,000 flight hours in more than 34,500 flights. Aero Caribbean is wholly owned by the government of Cuba
.
, Haiti
. The aircraft departed Santiago de Cuba en route to Havana around 16:50 local time
(20:50 UTC
). It was the last flight out of Santiago de Cuba airport
before it was closed because of the approach of Hurricane Tomas
. At 17:42, the aircraft crashed near the town of Guasimal
in Sancti Spíritus
province, some 210 miles southeast of Havana, after issuing an emergency call. Witnesses said the plane was "flying low and appeared unstable ... pouring out smoke and fire", before hearing an explosion.
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.
The accident was the deadliest involving the ATR 72 at the time it happened. It was also the third deadliest aircraft accident in Cuba, after the crash of a Cubana de Aviación
Ilyushin IL-62M
on 1989, which killed a total of 171 people, and the crash of an Aeroflot
Ilyushin IL-62M
on 1977, which killed a total of 69 people.
The day after the crash, on 5 November, rescue workers recovered the flight data
and cockpit voice recorder
s. They were turned over to investigators for inspection and analysis.
took responsibility for investigating the accident in Cuba with assistance from ATR and the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
(BEA). On November 16 the invesigation authority presented the final report following analysis of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. It concluded that a combination of extreme weather conditions caused severe icing which along with bad crew operating procedures ultimately led to the loss of the aircraft in a similar set of circumstances to the American Eagle
Flight 4184
incident which occurred with the same aircraft in 1994. ATR confirmed that the aircraft was in optimal technical condition.
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, via Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
. On 2010, the Aero Caribbean
Aero Caribbean
Aero Caribbean is an airline based in Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, Cuba. It operates scheduled domestic passenger services to four domestic destinations and international services, as well as charter flights mainly within the Caribbean and South America...
ATR-72-212
ATR 72
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. ATR and Airbus are both built in Toulouse, and share resources and technology...
operating the route crashed in the central Cuban province of Sancti Spíritus
Sancti Spíritus Province
Sancti Spíritus is one of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is the identically named Sancti Spíritus. Another major city is Trinidad.The southern coast of the province is flat, but the western portion of Sancti Spíritus province is mountainous. The southeast has numerous mangroves and swamps...
, killing all 61 passengers and 7 crew members aboard. It is the joint deadliest accident involving the ATR 72, and the third deadliest aviation accident in Cuba.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was an ATR-72-212ATR 72
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner built by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. ATR and Airbus are both built in Toulouse, and share resources and technology...
, registration CU-T1549, in use with Aero Caribbean since . It was delivered from the production line in 1995 to its first owner, Continental Express
Continental Express
Continental Express is the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines...
. The Cuba-based company, Aero Caribbean
Aero Caribbean
Aero Caribbean is an airline based in Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, Cuba. It operates scheduled domestic passenger services to four domestic destinations and international services, as well as charter flights mainly within the Caribbean and South America...
, was the third owner and bought it in 2006. According to the manufacturer, the plane had accumulated almost 25,000 flight hours in more than 34,500 flights. Aero Caribbean is wholly owned by the government of Cuba
Politics of Cuba
Cuba is constitutionally defined as a "socialist state guided by the principles of José Martí, and the political ideas of Marx, the father of communist states, Engels and Lenin." The present Constitution also ascribes the role of the Communist Party of Cuba to be the "leading force of society and...
.
Crash
The flight originated in Port-au-PrincePort-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. The aircraft departed Santiago de Cuba en route to Havana around 16:50 local time
UTC-4
UTC−04-00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −04.This offset is used in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone in Canada and the North American Eastern Time Zone during daylight saving time , in the Caribbean region this is considered as the Eastern Caribbean timezone...
(20:50 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
). It was the last flight out of Santiago de Cuba airport
Antonio Maceo Airport
Antonio Maceo Airport is an international airport located in Santiago, CubaThe airport has a drawing of Che Guevara on one of its outside walls. Pope John Paul II flew to this airport during his last visit to Cuba, flying round-trip between here and José Martí International Airport in Havana.The...
before it was closed because of the approach of Hurricane Tomas
Hurricane Tomas
Hurricane Tomas was the nineteenth named storm and twelfth hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Tomas developed from a tropical wave east of the Windward Islands on October 29. Quickly intensifying into a hurricane, it moved through the Windward Islands and passed very near Saint...
. At 17:42, the aircraft crashed near the town of Guasimal
Guasimal, Sancti Spíritus
Guasimal is a town and municipality in Sancti Spíritus Province, Cuba. The town has a population of 5,000 people. Che Guevara established his first guerrilla camp near the town.Aero Caribbean Flight 883 crashed near Guasimal in November 2010....
in Sancti Spíritus
Sancti Spíritus Province
Sancti Spíritus is one of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is the identically named Sancti Spíritus. Another major city is Trinidad.The southern coast of the province is flat, but the western portion of Sancti Spíritus province is mountainous. The southeast has numerous mangroves and swamps...
province, some 210 miles southeast of Havana, after issuing an emergency call. Witnesses said the plane was "flying low and appeared unstable ... pouring out smoke and fire", before hearing an explosion.
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.
The accident was the deadliest involving the ATR 72 at the time it happened. It was also the third deadliest aircraft accident in Cuba, after the crash of a Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on 8 October 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport...
Ilyushin IL-62M
Ilyushin Il-62
The Ilyushin Il-62 is a Soviet long-range jet airliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turbo-prop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 passengers, the Il-62 was the largest jet airliner when it first flew in 1963. It entered Aeroflot service on 15 September 1967 with...
on 1989, which killed a total of 171 people, and the crash of an Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
Ilyushin IL-62M
Ilyushin Il-62
The Ilyushin Il-62 is a Soviet long-range jet airliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turbo-prop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 passengers, the Il-62 was the largest jet airliner when it first flew in 1963. It entered Aeroflot service on 15 September 1967 with...
on 1977, which killed a total of 69 people.
Search and recovery
In order to allow access to the crash site, rescue workers had to use bulldozers to plow through thick vegetation. The aircraft was completely destroyed by the impact and resulting explosion, and all the victims' bodies were badly burned. Investigators believe that the passengers had no time to react because all bodies were found in their own seats, which helped investigators with identifications. The wreckage burned for hours after the crash. The recovered bodies were to be sent to Cuba's Institute of Legal Medicine for identification.The day after the crash, on 5 November, rescue workers recovered the flight data
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
and cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
s. They were turned over to investigators for inspection and analysis.
Passengers and crew
The passengers and crew were of various nationalities.| Nationality | Crew | Passengers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cuban |
7 | 33 | 40 |
 Argentine |
- | 10 | 10 |
 Mexican |
- | 7 | 7 |
 Dutch |
- | 3 | 3 |
 Australian |
- | 2 | 2 |
 French |
- | 1 | 1 |
 German |
- | 1 | 1 |
 Italian |
- | 1 | 1 |
 Japanese |
- | 1 | 1 |
 Spanish |
- | 1 | 1 |
 Venezuelan |
- | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 7 | 61 | 68 |
Investigation
The Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de CubaInstituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba
Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba is the civil aviation authority of Cuba, headquartered in Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana....
took responsibility for investigating the accident in Cuba with assistance from ATR and the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...
(BEA). On November 16 the invesigation authority presented the final report following analysis of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. It concluded that a combination of extreme weather conditions caused severe icing which along with bad crew operating procedures ultimately led to the loss of the aircraft in a similar set of circumstances to the American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
Flight 4184
American Eagle Flight 4184
American Eagle Flight 4184 was an American Eagle ATR 72 that crashed after flying into unknown icing conditions on October 31, 1994. Control was lost and all aboard were killed.-History:...
incident which occurred with the same aircraft in 1994. ATR confirmed that the aircraft was in optimal technical condition.
Reactions
- Argentine President Cristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
was sending a plane with relatives of the victims to bring home the bodies. - Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez ZapateroJosé Luis Rodríguez ZapateroJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
, South African President Jacob ZumaJacob ZumaJacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
, Polish President Bronisław Komorowski and French Foreign Minister Bernard KouchnerBernard KouchnerBernard Kouchner is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde...
, in a message addressing Cuban Foreign Affairs Minster Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla, all sent condolences.