On July 5, 2006, a Rockwell Sabreliner 40 (registration XA-UCS) operated by Vigo Jet was involved in an aviation accident near Mexico City-Benito Juarez, Mexico during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A hard landing caused a tire to burst, creating debris that punctured the fuel tank and ignited a fire. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
A fire broke out on an aircraft at Mexico City-Benito Juárez Airport after a hard landing caused a tire burst and subsequent fuel tank puncture.
What happened
During operations at Mexico City-Benito Juárez Airport, an aircraft experienced a significant incident while landing on runway 05. The sequence of events began with a hard landing, which resulted in the bursting of a tire on the left main landing gear. Following this mechanical failure, debris from the incident punctured the aircraft's fuel tank, leading to the ignition of a fire.
The aircraft came to a complete stop while still positioned on the main runway. Despite the intensity of the fire, both pilots managed to evacuate the aircraft without sustaining any injuries. However, the fire caused extensive damage, leaving the aircraft partially destroyed.
Findings
The primary trigger for the incident was a hard landing on the runway.
The failure of the left main gear tire released debris into the airframe.
This debris was responsible for puncturing the fuel tank, which allowed the fire to erupt.
Probable cause
A hard landing caused a tire to burst, creating debris that punctured the fuel tank and ignited a fire.