Date & Time: Jan 19, 1985 at 0822 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-18
Operator:
Registration:
CU-T899
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Havana - Managua
MSN:
188 0111 02
YOM:
1968
Country:
Cuba
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
33
Pax fatalities:
33
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
38
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Havana-Jose Marti-Rancho Boyeros Airport, while climbing, the crew initiated a right turn when the airplane banked right to an angle of 30° then entered a dive and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and all 38 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that the loss of control was the consequence of the failure of the artificial horizontal. Also, it is possible that cargo shifted during the right turn, modifying the CofG and causing the aircraft to be uncontrollable.