LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213

LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213
Aircraft involved, CC-BHB, in December 2018
Accident
Date18 November 2022 (2022-11-18)
SummaryCollision with fire engine during takeoff
SiteJorge Chávez Int'l Airport, Lima, Peru
12°01′19″S 77°06′52″W / 12.02194°S 77.11444°W / -12.02194; -77.11444
Total fatalities3
Total injuries40
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A320-271N[Note 1]
OperatorLATAM Perú on behalf of LATAM Chile
IATA flight No.LP2213
ICAO flight No.LPE2213
Call signLAN PERÚ 2213
RegistrationCC-BHB
Flight originJorge Chávez Int'l Airport, Lima, Peru
DestinationInca Manco Cápac Int'l Airport, Juliaca, Peru
Occupants108
Passengers102
Crew6
Fatalities0
Injuries40
Survivors108
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities3

LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Peru from Lima to Juliaca. On 18 November 2022, the Airbus A320neo was taking off from Jorge Chávez International Airport when it collided with a fire engine that was crossing the runway, killing two firefighters and injuring a third, who died of his injuries seven months later. Forty people were injured, 4 serious and 36 minor.[1][2] The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off, making it the first hull loss of the A320neo family.[3]

Accident

LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213 was scheduled to depart Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima at 14:55 PET (19:55 UTC) and arrive at Inca Manco Cápac International Airport in Juliaca at 16:30 PET (21:30 UTC).[4] The weather at Jorge Chávez Airport at the time reported a 10-knot (19 km/h; 12 mph) southerly wind, visibility of at least 10 km (5.4 nmi; 6.2 mi), and a broken cloud layer at 2,100 ft (640 m).[5]

The aircraft commenced its take-off on runway 16 at 15:11. During the take-off roll, multiple airport crash tenders and fire engines on a planned emergency drill crossed the runway in front of the accelerating aircraft.[6] The pilots rejected the takeoff in an attempt to avoid a collision but still ended up hitting one of the firetrucks, which had also turned to avoid the collision.[5] A video posted on social media showed the moment the aircraft impacted the truck, with the aircraft's right engine separating and the right landing gear collapsing.[5] Another video posted on social media showed the plane tipped over to its right side as it moved across the runway on fire as it stopped.[7] The aircraft came to rest 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) down the runway.[5] Several photos of the aftermath showed a destroyed fire engine and the aircraft resting on its right wing with fire damage to the rear fuselage.[5]

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a five-year-old Airbus A320-271N[Note 1] with manufacturer serial number 7864, registered as CC-BHB. It was delivered to LATAM Chile in November 2017. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was subsequently written off. It was the first hull loss of an A320neo.[8]

Crew

The captain, aged 35, had logged 8,229 flight hours, including 3,115 hours on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft. The first officer, aged 30, had 3,390 flight hours, with 583 of them on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft.[9]: 20–21 

Aftermath

As a result of the accident Lima Airport Partners suspended all operations at the airport until 20 November.[5]

The pilots of the aircraft were arrested soon after the accident and held in custody for 24 hours, prompting the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) to criticize the Peruvian government for acting contrary to International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines, saying that the arrest and detention were "extremely detrimental to flight safety and can only hinder the investigation." IFALPA also said that the arrest could create the public impression that the accident was intentionally caused by the pilots rather than by "technical issues or a string of errors originating from multiple factors."[10]

Air traffic control had given the LATAM crew clearance to take off. Lima's Airport Authority coordinated an emergency drill with the Air Traffic Authority. The exercise began at 3:10 pm local time, and the LATAM aircraft hit the truck at 3:11 pm. Air traffic control (ATC) confirmed the start of the exercise. The rescue team was under the impression that their drill clearance also included crossing the active runway which was not the case.

Firefighter Manuel Villanueva, the only survivor of the three-man fire engine crew, succumbed to his injuries on 17 June 2023, making him the third fatality of the accident.[11]

Investigation

The accident was investigated by the Commission for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents (CIAA) with assistance from the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA).[5][12] The flight recorders were to be sent to France for analysis,[13] but were instead sent to Brazil's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA).[9]: 10 

On October 2, 2023,[5] the CIAA released their final report, which concluded that the crash had been the result of the emergency vehicles entering the runway without permission. The emergency drill had been poorly planned by the Peruvian Corporation of Commercial Airports and Aviation (CORPAC), and coordination with the airport regarding the drill was poor. The air traffic controllers had only been notified of the drill about an hour before it occurred resulting in them having limited information. In addition, the communication between ATC and emergency responders used nonstandard terminology.[9] Some other contributing factors were also found.[3]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b The 2 in the suffix denotes that it was a -200 series variant of the A320; 71 denotes that it was equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW1127G-JM engines; N denotes that it was a neo or New Engine Option aircraft.

References

  1. ^ "Plane hits vehicle on runway, catches fire at Lima's airport". news.yahoo.com. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  2. ^ Aquino, Marco (2022-11-18). "LATAM Airlines plane crashes at Peruvian runway, two firefighters dead". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  3. ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A320-271N CC-BHB Lima-Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  4. ^ Flightradar24. "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24. Retrieved 2022-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Hradecky, Simon (2022-11-18). "Accident: LATAM Chile A20N at Lima on Nov 18th 2022, collision with fire truck on takeoff". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  6. ^ "Lima airport: Truck hit by plane on Peru runway was on planned drill". BBC News. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  7. ^ "Lima airport: Two firefighters dead as plane crashes during take-off". BBC News. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  8. ^ "Accident Airbus A320-271N CC-BHB, Friday 18 November 2022". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  9. ^ a b c "INFORME FINAL ACCIDENTE DE AVIACIÓN N° 008-2022" [FINAL AVIATION ACCIDENT REPORT N° 008-2022] (PDF) (in Spanish). Commission for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents. September 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  10. ^ "Global Pilots on LATAM Airlines Flight 2213". International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations. 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2022-11-26. The flight crew of LATAM 2213 were also placed under arrest and held in custody in Lima up until last night. The Federation considers this situation unacceptable. Holding individuals in custody who are already under intense psychological pressure due to an accident is extremely detrimental to flight safety and can only hinder the investigation... It may also lead the public to conclude that the accident resulted from the flight crew's intentional acts, rather than technical issues or a string of errors originating from multiple factors.
  11. ^ "Falleció bombero que quedó grave tras accidente en el Aeropuerto Jorge Chávez" [Firefighter who was seriously injured after an accident at the Jorge Chávez Airport died]. El Comercio (in Spanish). 2023-06-17. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  12. ^ "Accident to the Airbus A320 registered CC-BHB operated by Latam on 18/11/2022 at Lima". bea.aero. Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  13. ^ "Accidente en aeropuerto Jorge Chávez: caja negra de avión Latam se llevará a Francia para investigaciones" [Accident at Jorge Chávez airport: black box of Latam plane will be taken to France for investigations]. larepublica.pe (in Spanish). 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2022-11-27.