Wind Sheer downs plane?
- From: sanctified1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 24 Aug 2005 06:23:01 -0700
Authorities believe a plane crash in Peru that killed at least 41
people was possibly caused by a sudden change in wind speed or
direction, a phenomenon known as wind shear, according to the airline.
Tuesday's crash on a jungle highway near the remote Pucallpa airport,
800 kilometers (490 miles) northeast of the capital Lima, was the fifth
major airline accident this month.
Recovery efforts were beginning Wednesday at the site of the crash,
about 3 kilometers from the airport's runway. The 22-year-old Boeing
737, operated by the TANS airline, was headed to Pucallpa from the
capital Lima.
The airline said the pilot, who reported no mechanical problems, was
apparently trying to make an emergency landing in stormy weather. The
pilot had talked to the control tower as he approached the runway, and
did not report any mechanical failures, officials said.
"The plane did not crash. It did not fall. The plane made an emergency
landing," said TANS spokesman Jorge Belevan, adding that it did not
appear the crash was caused by a technical failure.
"The preliminary information we have is that the accident could have
been caused by wind shear," he said.
The pilot tried to land in a marsh to soften the impact but the landing
split the aircraft in two, Edwin Vasquez, president of the Ucayali
region, told The Associated Press.
Some survivors said they escaped the burning wreckage in a hailstorm
and waded through mud to flee.
Police Lt. David Mori told AP that 41 dead passengers had been
recovered from the plane and 56 people were treated at hospitals.
Rescue workers had to suspend searches for bodies in the wreckage but
planned to resume operations at dawn Wednesday.
"There were people who walked away from the crash uninjured," he said.
"It's not very clear how many."
Airline spokesman Jorge Belevan said the Boeing 737, which left Lima
with eight crew members and 92 passengers, went down at 3:06 p.m. (2006
GMT) -- 10 minutes before it was to arrive at the airport, about 480
kilometers (300 miles) northeast of Lima. The flight takes about an
hour.
Belevan said among those aboard were 11 Americans, two Italians, a
Spaniard, a Colombian and an Australian. Three of the passengers were
children, he said.
According to reports, the plane circled the airport until attempting to
make the emergency landing.
AP quoted local officials and radio reports that said the plane crashed
near a highway, indicating the pilot was trying to land on the roadway.
A man identifying himself as William Zea, a passenger on the plane,
told CPN radio that the plane "suffered some malfunction and we went
down," AP reports.
Tomas Ruiz, another passenger, told Radioprogramas: "It seems it was a
matter of the weather. Ten minutes before we were to land in Pucallpa
the plane began to shake a lot."
Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo appeared on national television
Tuesday to urge citizens to show "courage and solidarity with those
involved" and affected by the crash.
A plane was due to bring medical and other supplies Wednesday to the
accident scene to aid rescue efforts.
Another TANS plane was due to carry family members to the area, the
airline said.
Pucallpa is a river city in eastern Peru with a population of more than
150,000.
In January 2003, a TANS airline crashed in Peru's northern jungle,
killing more than 40 people.
The crash was the world's fifth airliner accident this month.
.
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