What happened
On a scheduled service from Lima to Juliaca, flight LA2213 was performing its takeoff roll on runway 16L. As the LATAM Airlines aircraft reached a speed of 131 knots after traveling 1,200 metres, it struck a fire truck that had moved onto the active runway from taxiway Bravo. At the time of the collision, a group of emergency vehicles, including two heavy fire trucks and one light support vehicle, were participating in a response time drill intended to evaluate the capabilities of a newly established fire station. This exercise had commenced approximately one minute before the impact.
The collision caused the right engine and the right main landing gear to be ripped from the aircraft type/model (not specified in source, but part of the flight). Following the impact, the plane caught fire and slid for approximately 1,600 metres before veering right and coming to a halt in flames. The aircraft sustained heavy fire damage and was subsequently destroyed. Among the 102 passengers and six crew members on board, 40 passengers sustained injuries, with four of those classified as serious. The collision also resulted in the deaths of two personnel working within the fire truck, while a third member of the emergency vehicle crew suffered serious injuries.
Findings
- The accident occurred because a fire truck entered the active runway while the aircraft was accelerating for takeoff during a scheduled emergency response exercise.