What happened
On March 5, 2025, at approximately 20:30 UTC, an Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 737-800, registered as LV-FRK, was performing a scheduled commercial flight from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires to Neuquén. As the aircraft reached rotation speed during its takeoff roll, the number 1 (left) engine suffered a critical failure. This malfunction caused hot metal components to detach from the engine and scatter across the runway and the adjacent grass area.
Following the engine failure, the flight crew declared an emergency. The aircraft was diverted from its original destination and landed safely at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza approximately 50 minutes later. There were no injuries reported among the 152 occupants on board.
The investigation
The Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST) is conducting an investigation into the incident. Current efforts are focused on the analysis of data retrieved from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the engine failure. The investigation aims to determine the exact nature of the mechanical failure within the CFM56-7B engine.
Findings
Preliminary findings indicate that the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the left engine due to the uncontained release of engine components.