Midair Explosion and Crash of a Three-Engine Aircraft in Michoacán (XA-MEM)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence The three-engine aircraft departed Mexico City-Benito Juárez Airport at 0840 local time on a scheduled service to Los Angeles, with intermediate stops at Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán. The flight carried 159 passengers and eight crew members. While cruising at the assigned altitude of 31,000 feet, a tire burst in the left main gear wheel well triggered an explosion. The event ruptured fuel and hydraulic lines and severed electrical cables, leading to cabin decompression. The captain declared an emergency and reduced altitude, after which the aircraft caught fire when fuel ignited. The aircraft then entered an uncontrolled descent and struck the slope of Mt San Andrés, which is 3,569 meters high and located 18 kilometers southwest of Maravatio, in the State of Michoacán. The aircraft disintegrated on impact, and all 167 occupants were killed.