TACA Plane Crashes While Landing In Honduras; 5 Killed
Friday May 30th, 2008 / 23h27
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP)--At least five people were killed and 65 injured Friday when a jet owned by Central America's TACA airlines crashed while trying to land at the Tegucigalpa airport, rescue personnel said. The Airbus A-320, carrying 124 passengers plus crew, was flying a Los Angeles-San Salvador-Tegucigalpa route, officials said. The plane skidded off the runway, crashed down a 20-meter embankment, plowed across a road and broke into three pieces, TACA officials said. TACA manager Armando Funes 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." Among the dead was Nicaraguan Harry Brautigam, the president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, according to Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. At least 65 people were hospitalized, including Brazil's ambassador to Tegucigalpa, Jose Roberto de Almeida Pinto. Many suffered smoke inhalation from a fire that ignited during the crash, rescue personnel said. Authorities could not immediately say whether there were any victims on the ground. Honduras Industry and Commerce Minister Norman Garcia said poor visibility could 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 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 said. Also among the wounded were Costa Ricans, Mexicans, Guatemalans and Hondurans, according to information provided by diplomatic missions to local media. The airport at Tegucigalpa is ringed by mountains and considered one of the most dangerous in Central America, according to aviation experts. This was the eighth registered accident since 1959 for TACA, which underwent a major expansion in 1997 when it acquired several smaller regional carriers.
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