Accident
On a night cargo flight from Saltillo Airport to Puebla, a twin-engine aircraft carrying two pilots and a load of 550 kilograms of various goods experienced a low fuel condition. The crew declared an emergency and received clearance to divert to Tampico-General Francisco Javier Mina Airport. During the final approach to runway 31, both engines stopped, causing the aircraft to descend into trees and crash in a wooded area 850 meters short of the runway. Both pilots were slightly injured, and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be an emergency landing resulting from an inadequate pre-flight of the aircraft, which led to the loss of power in both engines during cruise flight due to exhaustion of fuel on board.
Contributing Factors
Contributing to the accident were a lack of adherence to flight planning procedures, lack of coordination between the captain and the operations officer during pre-flight preparation, and lack of supervision of dispatcher activities.