Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan near Loreto: 14 killed
Date & Time:
Oct 14, 2013 at 0907 LT
Operator:
Registration:
XA-TXM
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Los Mochis – Loreto – Ciudad Constitución
MSN:
208B-0947
YOM:
2002
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Aircraft flight hours:
11840
Aircraft flight cycles:
12184
Circumstances:
The single engine aircraft departed Loreto Airport at 0901LT on a flight to Ciudad Constitución, carrying 13 passengers and one pilot. Weather conditions were poor with limited visibility and heavy rain falls due to the presence of the tropical storm 'Octave'. Six minutes after takeoff, while cruising at an altitude of 3,900 feet, the airplane impacted the slope of a rocky mountain located in the Sierra de La Giganta. The wreckage was found two days later some 26 km west of Loreto. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 14 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the pilot suffered a spatial disorientation while cruising in unfavorable weather conditions due to the presence of the tropical storm 'Octave'.
Final Report:
