San Pedro Sula

Following an uneventful flight from Roatán, the crew started the approach to San Pedro Sula Airport Runway 04. After touchdown, the pilot applied brake when the aircraft encountered controllability problems. It veered off runway to the left, went through a grassy area, lost its undercarriage and came to rest with its nose in a drainage ditch located 40 metres to the left of the runway. All 19 occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

For unknown reasons, the twin engine aircraft was flying low when it impacted tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located in Plan de La Laguna, in the Comayagua National Park. Both occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft departed San Pedro Sula-Ramon Villeda Morales Airport at 0704LT on a 40-minute flight to Tegucigalpa, carrying 12 passengers and two pilots. After being cleared to descend to 9,000 feet for an approach to runway 20, the crew informed ATC he was initiating a go-around procedure for unknown reasons. Few minutes later, the aircraft was cleared for an approach to runway 02. On approach in marginal weather conditions in a full flaps down configuration, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area located 12 km from the airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and all 14 occupants were killed.

After takeoff from runway 01 at Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport, while climbing to a height of 200 feet, the twin engine aircraft rolled left and right then stalled and crashed beside the runway, about 550 metres from its end. The copilot and four passengers were injured while eight other occupants including the captain were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed.

While approaching Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport in poor weather conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the aircraft struck the south slope of Cerro de Hula (1,600 meters high) located 14 km from runway 01 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.

Flight 203 was a scheduled domestic flight from La Mesa Airport, Cortis Department, to Toncontín, Tegucigalpa, D.C., with three flight crew members, two stewardesses and fifty passengers on board. The gross weight of the aircraft at take-off was 75 023 lbs. After a routine pre-flight check which did not reveal any abnormality, the aircraft took off from La Mesa at 0815 hours. Its estimated flight time was 32 minutes and the en-route altitude was 7 500 ft. After 23 minutes of flight the aircraft contacted Toncontín control tower over "El Rancho" and requested authorization to use frequency 118.1 Mc/s. This was acknowledged by the tower which cleared the aircraft to enter the circuit for a landing on runway 01, the wind being calm. The crew then requested to use runway 19 but the tower refused because there was some traffic on runway 01 and several aircraft were waiting to land on that runway. The landing was initiated, 20° of flaps and the undercarriage were lowered; the pilot reported on base leg and extended the flaps to 300. According to the flight crew the indicated airspeed was 100 kt over the fence located before the threshold of runway 01. The landing was normal and smooth and immediately after the nose-wheel touched down the pilot-in-command called for withdrawal of the safety lock of the propeller reverse system. This was done; however the throttle controls would not shift to the desired position (rearward) to operate the propeller reverse system satisfactorily. Three consecutive attempts were made without success. The pilot evaluated the situation and, since the air- craft had passed the point where a go-around could be attempted, he decided to use the brakes only as they appeared to operate normally at the time. According to some reliable observers (aviation mechanics and tower controllers) one of the aircraft's tires burst approximately halfway down the runway and another tire, possibly on the opposite side, burst 50 m farther down. It was assumed that these tires were the two outermost tires. As the aircraft was nearing the end of the runway, the pilot-in-command became afraid of the pronounced slope ahead and veered to the left to execute a 180° turn (ground loop). The turn was successfully completed; however, due to the aircraft's inertia, the radius of the turn was too wide and the nose-wheel ran into a drainage ditch; the aircraft then skidded, the left undercarriage ran into the same ditch and stayed in it, the nose-wheel broke off, the left wing fuel tanks burst and the propellers of Nos. 1 and 4 engines were damaged. A fire resulting from the intense heat of the brakes and wheels, the spilled fuel and the dry grass immediately broke out and destroyed the aircraft. Four passengers were killed while 51 other occupants were evacuated. The aircraft was destroyed.

During the takeoff roll at San Pedro Sula-Barandillas Airport, the airplane suffered a loss of power on one engine. It went out of control, veered off runway and eventually collided with a wooden house. Both crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Upon landing at Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport, the left main gear collapsed. The airplane slid for several yards and came to rest, damaged beyond repair. Both pilots were slightly injured.

Shortly after takeoff from San Pedro Sula-Ramon Villeda Morales Airport, while climbing, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a residential area. Both pilots and three people on the ground were killed. Several building and the aircraft were destroyed.

The flight which departed from San Pedro Sula Airport on an extra flight with cargo for the San Andrés Mine, took off at 1242LT. The load was properly distributed with the centre of gravity on take-off, within the authorized limits. At 1316LT, following the first and only attempt to land at San Andrés Aerodrome, the aircraft crashed into a nearby mountain approximately 5 kilometers from the aerodrome. Fire broke out on impact and the aircraft and cargo were completely destroyed. The three crew, who were the only parsons on board, were killed.