Aircraft Reportedly Landed Long And Skidded Off End Of
Runway
With information still coming in,
authorities report at least five people were killed and 65 injured
Friday when an airliner operated by Central America's TACA Airlines
skidded off the end of the runway at Toncontin Airport in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras and onto a road in a botched landing
attempt.
The Airbus A320 was enroute from San Salvador, originating in
Los Angeles. A total of 124 passengers plus crew were aboard.
TACA officials said the aircraft (file photo of type, below)
departed the end of the runway, and down a 66-foot embankment. The
airliner crossed a road and fuselaqe separated into three pieces.
Photos show the nose and forward compartment of the aircraft wedged
against an embankment on the other side of the road.
TACA manager Armando Funes said to AFP he could not give precise
figures about the victims but told local media that "the plane was
completely destroyed" and that "the passengers were being taken to
hospitals for evaluation."
According to Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, Nicaraguan Harry
Brautigam, president of the Central American Bank for Economic
Integration, was among those killed in the crash.
At least 65 others have been hospitalized, including Brazil's
ambassador to Tegucigalpa, Jose Roberto de Almeida Pinto.
A post crash fire ensued and as a result many were being treated
for smoke inhalation, rescue personnel said.
Authorities did not immediately say whether there were any
casualties on the ground at the time of the crash.
Witnesses say poor visibility at the time of the attempted
landing may have contributed to the crash. "It was a difficult
landing due to the clouds at Toncontin (airport). The cloud ceiling
was very low and the pilot attempted to land on the first try but
had to take flight again," said Honduras' Industry and Commerce
Minister Norman Garcia.
"On the second try, I saw the plane's tires touch the runway
right in front of the terminal, and that was a sign he had overshot
the runway," he added.
The airport at Tegucigalpa lies within the center of a
mountainous "bowl" and is considered by many aviation experts to be
one of the most challenging airports in Central America for
approaches, even in fair weather.
The accident today marks the eighth recorded for TACA since
1959. In 1997, the carrier underwent a significant expansion when
it acquired several smaller regional airlines.