What happened
A charter service, operating on behalf of Cubana de Aviacion and leased from AOM French Airlines, was performing flight CU1216 from Havana to Guatemala City. The aircraft was transporting 296 passengers, primarily Guatemalan medical students, along with 18 crew members. Upon landing on runway 19, the flight crew began braking maneuvers; however, the aircraft type could not stop before the end of the paved surface. The aircraft exited the runway, descended an embankment, and struck several residential structures in the La Libertad district.
The accident resulted in 17 fatalities, including both pilots, six crew members, eight passengers, and two individuals on the ground. Additionally, there were 57 injuries, involving 20 people on the ground and others on board, while 261 occupants of the aircraft survived without injury. The aircraft was a total loss.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause was an improper approach configuration by the crew, which led to the aircraft touching down between 1,220 and 1,320 meters past the runway threshold. This left only approximately 1,300 meters of available landing distance on the 2,767-meter runway.
Several contributing factors were identified:
- The crew did not execute a go-around despite the missed approach conditions.
- The aircraft maintained an indicated airspeed exceeding specified limits, exacerbated by local temperature and elevation.
- An excessive vertical descent rate during the leveling phase was not corrected by the commander, partly due to the autopilot's CWS mode facilitating aircraft flotation.
- A potential tailwind component went unmonitored by the crew.
- There was a delay in initiating braking procedures following touchdown, likely due to a visual misjudgment caused by the crew's lack of familiarity with landing on runway 19 at Aurora Airport in this specific aircraft.
- Environmental factors including runway surface conditions and wind components played a role.