Investigation Summary
Flight 7831 was a scheduled domestic service between Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Villahermosa. The aircraft departed Francisco Sarabia National Airport at approximately 19:30 local time. Shortly into the flight, the crew encountered a significant weather system and requested a deviation from their planned path to avoid the storm. Air traffic control granted the request, and the pilots initiated a right turn. During this maneuver, the crew attempted to maintain visual flight (VFR) while in instrument meteorological conditions (IFR), a critical error that led to a loss of situational awareness. The aircraft deviated 29.8 miles to the right of the Victor 3 airway. While descending toward 2,000 feet as cleared by Villahermosa approach, the crew failed to verify minimum safe altitudes for their off-airway position in mountainous terrain. The aircraft struck a mountain at an elevation of 6,200 feet and immediately burst into flames. The impact site was located at coordinates 17°24′0″N 92°28′59″W. Investigators determined that the combination of heavy rain, the crew's persistence in flying VFR in IFR conditions, and the failure to account for terrain while operating outside of controlled airspace led to the disaster.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the primary cause of the accident was Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Contributing factors included the crew's lack of situational awareness while navigating in inclement weather and a breakdown in crew resource management (CRM). The pilots failed to ensure they were at a safe altitude relative to the surrounding mountainous terrain while deviating from their original flight path to avoid a storm.
Video Analysis
CVR - Aerocaribe 7831 - [CFIT] 8 July 2000 — A reconstruction and CVR audio analysis of the Aerocaribe Flight 7831 accident in Chiapas, Mexico.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Crew Resource Management (CRM)
The effective use of all available resources for flight crew personnel to assure a safe and efficient operation, which was cited as a failure in this accident.
Situational Awareness
The perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space; the crew lost track of their proximity to terrain during the weather deviation.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a British Aerospace Jetstream 32EP registered in the United States as N912FJ.
- 02The accident occurred in a mountainous region of Chiapas during night conditions and severe weather.
- 03All 17 passengers and 2 crew members perished in the crash and subsequent fire.
- 04The flight was a short-haul domestic leg of approximately 150 kilometers.
Safety Actions & Advisories
CRM Training Reinforcement
Source ↗The investigation highlighted a breakdown in cockpit resource management; subsequent safety recommendations focused on reinforcing CRM training for regional carriers to ensure better communication and shared situational awareness during weather deviations.
IFR/VFR Compliance Procedures
Source ↗Authorities emphasized the necessity for crews to strictly adhere to IFR procedures when meteorological conditions do not permit VFR, especially when deviating from established airways in mountainous regions.