422:. Local police officer JosĂ© MarĂa GĂłmez stated that "There were corpses wherever you looked, and body parts everywhere on the rocks and in the trees. The plane was totally destroyed". Locals in the vicinity of the crash reported hearing three loud explosions and that they witnessed fire in the sky, with some believing that the San Vicente volcano was erupting. Gladys Miranda de Valencia, the captain's sister, reported that Aviateca had told her that the captain had informed the airline of "unspecified mechanical problems" prior to the accident. Aviateca president Frederick Melville initially attributed the crash to bad weather, and Aviateca spokesman Mauricio RodrĂguez stated that it was raining "very, very hard" at the time of the accident.
335:; the captain served in the air force from 1976 to 1986 while the first officer served from 1980 to 1991. The captain joined Aviateca in 1986 and the first officer joined the airline in 1992. Miranda had 9,828 flight hours while Sandoval had 4,696 flight hours. There were 58 passengers and 7 crew members on board the flight. The passengers onboard the Guatemala City–San Salvador leg of the flight included 16 Mexicans, 11 Guatemalans, 6 Norwegians, 5 Americans, 5 Nicaraguans, 4 Costa Ricans, 2 Danes, 2 Brazilians, and 7 passengers of unknown origin. Two foreign ambassadors to Nicaragua were on the flight: Palle Marker from Denmark and Genaro Antonio Mucciolo from Brazil. Two retired
29:
394:. Due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in the area, the captain deviated from the standard approach to Comalapa International Airport: Airway G346. The captain sought to intercept the ILS glide slope for Runway 07 rather than the typical ILS glide slope for Runway 25. José Alberto Chávez, the air traffic controller on duty, instructed the aircraft to descend to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) without knowing where the aircraft was, as the captain did not inform the controller of the deviation. While at 5,000 feet, the aircraft's
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published its final report regarding the accident on 6 October 1995. It determined that the probable cause was the flight crew's "lack of situational awareness in relation to the 7,159 foot obstruction " and its decision to descend. The report also asserted that the airline's
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Rescue vehicles were unable to reach the crash site due to poor road conditions and fog also prevented helicopters from reaching the site. The crash site spanned a 500-square-yard (420 m) area at an altitude of 5,773 feet (1,760 m)
324:: N125GU). The aircraft was the 1,114th Boeing 737 built and the airline acquired it in March 1995. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had logged 16,645 flight hours and 20,323 flight cycles (takeoffs and landings). The
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The captain was 39-year-old Axel Byron
Miranda Herrera and the first officer was 36-year-old VĂctor Francisco Sandoval Salguero. Both pilots were retired pilots of the
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on 9 August 1995. The accident killed all 65 passengers and crew on board and is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in El
Salvador. An investigation by the
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activated, alerting the pilots that the aircraft was too close to the ground. The pilots applied full power to the engines, but the plane crashed into the
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470:(the parent company of Aviateca) faced lawsuits from 21 families regarding the accident which were later settled out of court for undisclosed amounts.
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The flight departed Miami on 9 August 1995 bound for
Guatemala City. Its departure from Guatemala City was delayed by 2 hours, taking off at 6:20 p.m.
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After the accident, Aviateca offered to pay the families of the victims US$ 571.42 (then equivalent to 5,000
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615:[In Images: The 28 Year Anniversary of the Aviateca Accident in the Chinchontepec Volcano].
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was a scheduled international passenger flight which crashed into the 7,159-foot (2,182 m)
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sent a representative to assist in the investigation, particularly in analyzing the aircraft's
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613:"En Imágenes: Se Cumplen 28 Años del Accidente de Aviateca en el Volcán Chinchontepec"
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at around 7:30 p.m. CST, 6 miles (9.7 km) south from the municipality of
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ruled that the controllers on duty were not responsible for the accident.
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and air traffic control error in bad weather contributed to the accident.
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Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain
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59:
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Aviateca 901: La Mayor
Tragedia AĂ©rea de El Salvador (Publicado en 2019)
834:[Aviateca 901: The Worst Aerial Tragedy in Salvadoran History].
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Aviation accidents and incidents caused by air traffic controller error
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N125GU, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in March 1995
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763:[1995 Tragedy in Photos: The Fall of Aviateca Flight 901].
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832:"Aviateca 901: la Peor Tragedia Aérea de la Historia Salvadoreña"
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761:"Tragedia de 1995 en Fotos: La CaĂda del Vuelo 901 de Aviateca"
352:
175:
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Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Original
684:"El Salvador: Bodies of Guatemalan Airline Crash Located"
587:"Crash of a Boeing 737-2H6 on Mt. San Vicente: 65 Killed"
900:
858:
639:
570:
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Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
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904:[Final Report Regarding the Aerial Accident]
654:"65 Killed When Plane Crashes Into Salvador Volcano"
363:, Costa Rica; it had three stopovers on its route:
1411:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather
487:List of deadliest aircraft accidents and incidents
454:was ineffective and contributed to the accident.
413:The San Vicente volcano, where Flight 901 crashed
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719:"Salvador Crash Kills 65, Including 5 From U.S."
1436:Aviation accidents and incidents in El Salvador
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1421:Avianca Guatemala accidents and incidents
943:El Salvador – No Survivors In Plane Crash
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1431:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1995
872:"Accident Details – Aviateca Flight 901"
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381:Augusto C. Sandino International Airport
355:, United States and its destination was
217:Augusto C. Sandino International Airport
1309:Khabarovsk United Air Group Flight 3949
1079:Intercontinental de AviaciĂłn Flight 256
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1209:Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529
1119:Air Transport International Flight 782
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902:"Informe Final Sobre Accidente AĂ©reo"
797:"Plane Crash Kills 65 in El Salvador"
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611:Hompanera, Yessica (10 August 2023).
591:Bureau of Aviation Accidents Archives
357:Juan SantamarĂa International Airport
231:Juan SantamarĂa International Airport
16:1995 aviation accident in El Salvador
726:. Associated Press. 11 August 1995.
432:National Transportation Safety Board
1441:August 1995 events in North America
781:
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652:Darling, Juanita (11 August 1995).
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13:
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1339:Trans Service Airlift L-188 crash
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795:Alemán, Marcos (11 August 1995).
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1055:Aviation accidents and incidents
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430:Shortly after the accident, the
1319:Air St. Martin Beech 1900 crash
1299:Azerbaijan Airlines Flight A-56
1139:Royal Air Force Nimrod R1 XW666
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396:ground proximity warning system
365:La Aurora International Airport
337:Federal Aviation Administration
187:La Aurora International Airport
1089:Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C
759:Lozano, Luis (9 August 2021).
373:Comalapa International Airport
339:inspectors were also onboard.
295:Comalapa International Airport
202:Comalapa International Airport
56:Controlled flight into terrain
1:
1289:Cameroon Airlines Flight 3701
1269:American Airlines Flight 1572
1229:Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133
1169:All Nippon Airways Flight 857
1159:Ansett New Zealand Flight 703
1099:TransAsia Airways Flight 510A
859:Civil Aviation Authority 1995
640:Civil Aviation Authority 1995
571:Civil Aviation Authority 1995
514:Civil Aviation Authority 1995
492:
316:Flight 901 was operated by a
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1359:American Airlines Flight 965
1109:Borodianka mid-air collision
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7:
840:(in Spanish). 9 August 2023
540:"ASN – Aviateca Flight 901"
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349:Miami International Airport
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172:Miami International Airport
10:
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1279:Nigeria Airways Flight 357
1259:Alaska E-3 Sentry accident
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347:Flight 901 originated at
328:flight number was GU901.
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911:Civil Aviation Authority
548:Flight Safety Foundation
452:crew resource management
447:Civil Aviation Authority
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299:Civil Aviation Authority
544:Aviation Safety Network
93:13.599250°N 88.849417°W
436:cockpit voice recorder
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1149:Knight Air Flight 816
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98:13.599250; -88.849417
1329:Banat Air Flight 166
473:In 2003, a court in
440:flight data recorder
333:Guatemalan Air Force
58:due to bad weather,
1396:1995 in El Salvador
1377:► 1996
1371:1994 ◄
1349:Tower Air Flight 41
1239:Kish Air Flight 707
1199:Aviateca Flight 901
802:The Washington Post
400:San Vicente volcano
379:, El Salvador, and
322:registration number
293:on approach to the
287:San Vicente volcano
283:Aviateca Flight 901
89: /
71:San Vicente volcano
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22:Aviateca Flight 901
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878:on 19 January 2008
723:The New York Times
464:Salvadoran colones
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114:Aircraft type
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971:La Prensa Gráfica
766:La Prensa Gráfica
658:Los Angeles Times
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1189:Airstan incident
1129:TAROM Flight 371
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468:TACA Airlines
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213:Last stopover
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168:Flight origin
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47:9 August 1995
46:
42:
37:
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924:. Retrieved
909:
895:Bibliography
880:. Retrieved
876:the original
866:
861:, p. 1.
854:
842:. Retrieved
835:
826:
814:. Retrieved
800:
771:. Retrieved
769:(in Spanish)
764:
735:. Retrieved
721:
692:. Retrieved
661:. Retrieved
657:
647:
635:
623:. Retrieved
621:(in Spanish)
616:
606:
594:. Retrieved
590:
551:. Retrieved
543:
472:
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444:
429:
416:
389:
377:San Salvador
346:
330:
312:
282:
281:
236:, Costa Rica
206:San Salvador
198:2nd stopover
183:1st stopover
159:Registration
153:AVIATECA 901
84:88°50′57.9″W
81:13°35′57.3″N
18:
1005:El Salvador
920:El Salvador
475:San Vicente
303:pilot error
291:El Salvador
227:Destination
222:, Nicaragua
193:, Guatemala
96: /
60:pilot error
1390:Categories
926:21 October
882:22 January
844:24 October
816:21 October
773:21 October
737:21 October
694:21 October
663:22 October
625:21 October
596:21 October
553:22 January
493:References
309:Background
265:Fatalities
249:Passengers
1017:Guatemala
811:0190-8286
732:0362-4331
498:Citations
458:Aftermath
404:Tepetitán
273:Survivors
241:Occupants
150:Call sign
993:Aviation
916:Ilopango
837:El Mundo
481:See also
361:San José
343:Accident
314:Aviateca
234:San José
128:Aviateca
124:Operator
109:Aircraft
39:Accident
1059: (
1057:in 1995
979:Portals
966:YouTube
955:Archive
948:YouTube
688:Reuters
385:Managua
220:Managua
52:Summary
1355:Dec 20
1345:Dec 20
1335:Dec 18
1325:Dec 13
1275:Nov 13
1265:Nov 12
1255:Sep 22
1245:Sep 21
1235:Sep 19
1225:Sep 15
1205:Aug 21
1175:Jun 24
1165:Jun 21
1145:May 24
1135:May 16
1125:Mar 31
1115:Feb 16
1105:Feb 10
1095:Jan 30
1085:Jan 19
1075:Jan 11
809:
730:
163:N125GU
145:GUG901
1315:Dec 7
1305:Dec 7
1295:Dec 5
1285:Dec 3
1215:Sep 2
1195:Aug 9
1185:Aug 3
1155:Jun 9
968:from
950:from
906:(PDF)
426:Cause
353:Miami
176:Miami
137:GU901
1061:1995
928:2023
884:2020
846:2023
818:2023
807:ISSN
775:2023
739:2023
728:ISSN
696:2023
665:2023
627:2023
598:2023
555:2020
445:The
438:and
326:IATA
257:Crew
67:Site
44:Date
964:on
946:on
420:MSL
392:CST
383:in
375:in
367:in
359:in
351:in
289:in
1392::
918:,
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805:.
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704:^
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673:^
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578:^
563:^
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268:65
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244:65
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260:7
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