What happened
On August 24, 2020, a Boeing 737-800, registration LV-HFR, was performing a non-scheduled commercial flight departing from El Palomar Airport toward San Juan. Shortly after takeoff, the crew observed an indication of a failure within the aircraft's hydraulic system. As a precautionary measure, the crew decided to abort the flight and return to the departure airfield. The aircraft landed safely at El Palomar without any emergency declaration or damage to the airframe.
The investigation
The Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST) reviewed the technical details of the event, including the aircraft's condition following the landing and the specific nature of the system indication. The investigation focused on the hydraulic system component that triggered the alert during the initial climb phase of the flight.
Findings
- The return to the airport was executed as a precautionary maneuver rather than an emergency response.
- There were no injuries to the crew or the 75 passengers on board.
- The aircraft sustained no damage during the incident or the subsequent landing.