Venezuelan Boeing 737-200 Makes Emergency Landing in Barinas Due to Fuel Imbalance (YV2792)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On March 12, 2020, at 17:20 UTC, a commercial passenger flight departed from the International Airport of Santo Domingo (SVSO) in Táchira, Venezuela, bound for the Simón Bolívar International Airport (SVMI) in Maiquetía. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-2B7C, registration YV2792, serial number 22887, powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17 turbofan engines. The aircraft had a maximum takeoff weight of 117,000 lb and was certified for 119 passengers and five crew members. It was operated by a commercial airline with maintenance support from OMAC N 681 Estelar Tecnicks. The aircraft held valid certificates of registration, airworthiness, and radio station issued by the INAC, the Venezuelan aeronautical authority. The flight was crewed by a 69-year-old captain with 25,167 flight hours and a 27-year-old first officer with 950 flight hours, both holding appropriate licenses and medical certifications from the INAC. The aircraft also carried three cabin crew members. ## Emergency Descent and Landing During cruise, the pilot in command decided to descend and land at the nearest airport because both engines were drawing fuel exclusively from the right wing tank (Tank No. 2). This caused the left wing to become progressively heavier than the right, creating a risk that the imbalance could not be corrected using ailerons and aerodynamic compensation. The pilot notified the SVMI Air Traffic Control and executed an approach and landing at the Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi National Airport (SVBI) in Barinas. All occupants were unharmed, and the aircraft sustained no damage. ## Weather and Investigation Context Weather conditions at the time included winds of 04 knots from 350 degrees, visibility of 999 meters, and generally good weather throughout the day. The incident was reported to the ICAO ADREP system via form JIAAC 011/2020, and the United States, as the state of design and manufacture, was notified. The NTSB, as the U.S. accident investigation authority, was also informed. The preliminary report was issued by the Venezuelan Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board (JIAA) on March 26, 2020, and noted that the investigation was still in its development phase, with information subject to change and potential errors to be corrected in the final report.