Aerocon Flight 238
 | This article needs to be updated. (February 2024) |
 A Fairchild Metro similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 September 2011 |
| Summary | Controlled flight against terrain [needs update] |
| Site | Near Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport, Trinidad, Bolivia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III |
| Operator | Aerocon |
| Registration | CP-2548 |
| Flight origin | El Trompillo Airport, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia |
| Destination | Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport, Trinidad, Bolivia |
| Occupants | 9 |
| Passengers | 7 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 8 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
On 6 September 2011, Aerocon Flight 238, a Fairchild Metro III regional passenger aircraft on a service from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to Trinidad, Bolivia, crashed on approach to Trinidad, killing eight of the nine people on board.[1]
Accident
[edit]The aircraft had taken off from El Trompillo Airport, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, for its hour-long, 380 kilometres (240 mi; 210 nmi) flight to Trinidad.
At about 19:00 local time (23:00 UTC) the aircraft was reported to be 19 kilometres (12 mi; 10 nmi) north of its destination when contact was lost. A search by the Bolivian Air Force was initiated. At around 12:30 local time on 8 September, the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted at a location 29 kilometres (18 mi; 16 nmi) north east of Trinidad Airport. Initial reports stated that there were no survivors.[1]
Helicopters reached the crash site at 16:40 local time and it was discovered that eight of the nine people on board the aircraft had been killed in the crash. The survivor was discovered at around 09:00 local time on 9 September, having walked away from the wreckage in search of help. He sustained a head wound and severe bruising but did not have any broken bones. He was airlifted to a hospital.[2]
A minute's silence was held in the Senate of Bolivia in memory of those who were killed.[3]
Aircraft
[edit]The aircraft involved was Fairchild SA227-BC Metro III, registration CP-2548, c/n BC-768B. The aircraft had first flown in 1992 and had served with several airlines before its sale to Aerocon in January 2009.[4]
Investigation
[edit]Bolivia's Directorate General of Civil Aviation opened an investigation into the accident. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the wreckage and sent to Brazil for analysis.[2]
It was reported that a required VOR radio beacon had been out of service since 20 August and that the crew was attempting a non-precision approach at the time of the accident.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Bolivia jet wreckage found". BBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Hradecky, Simon (7 September 2011). "Crash: Aerocon SW4 at Trinidad on Sep 6th 2011, missing aircraft found destroyed, one survivor". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "EL AVIÓN QUEDÓ HECHO AÑICOS; HALLAN RESTOS DE 8 OCUPANTES" [THE AIRPLANE WAS IN PIECES; THEY FIND REMAINS OF 8 OCCUPANTS] (in Spanish). El Razón. Retrieved 9 September 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "CP-2548 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 September 2011.