Investigation Summary
The flight was a scheduled cargo service from Mexico City to Los Angeles with an intermediate stop in Monterrey. During a VOR-DME approach to runway 11 in heavy rain and windshear, the crew initiated a go-around at 3.2 DME from the runway. During this maneuver, the aircraft's speed decayed significantly, reaching as low as 110 knots, which was 20 knots below the target speed. As the engines accelerated to maximum thrust to compensate, the resulting pitch-up moment was not countered by adjusting the stabilizer trim, which remained at 10.25 degrees nose-up. The crew attempted to push the control column forward to its stop, but the aircraft continued to pitch up to 41 degrees. The speed dropped to 70 knots, triggering the stick shaker and stall warnings. In the final seconds, the control column was reversed to the full backward position as the aircraft lost altitude and crashed onto the Avenida Miguel Alemán motorway.
Final Conclusions
The DGAC Mexico final report (ACCY-022/10MMMY) concluded the primary cause was the impact of the aircraft on the ground as a result of loss of control during a missed approach. Contributing factors included a lack of crew resource management (CRM), diminished situational awareness, failure to follow operational procedures, an unstabilized non-precision approach, unsuitable aircraft configuration, and adverse weather conditions.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
The Crash of AeroUnion Flight 302 — A detailed look at the 2010 crash of an Airbus A300 in Monterrey, Mexico, exploring how a routine go-around turned fatal due to pitch trim mismanagement and poor CRM.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Adolfo Muller Pazos, age 56
First Officer
José Manuel Guerra, age 37
Flight Engineer
Humberto Castillo Vera, age 34
Observer Pilot
Manfred Muller, age 25
Systems & Failure Modes
Alpha Floor Protection
An Airbus flight envelope protection that automatically commands TOGA (Take-Off/Go-Around) thrust when the aircraft reaches a specific high angle of attack.
Pitch Trim System
The system used to neutralize control column forces; in this accident, the trim remained in a high nose-up position, contributing to the uncontrollable pitch-up.
Stick Shaker
A mechanical device that rapidly and noisily vibrates the control yoke to warn the crew of an impending aerodynamic stall.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was 31 years old at the time of the accident.
- 02The aircraft was named 'Margo'.
- 03The crash killed all five people on board and one driver on the ground.
- 04The aircraft's pitch reached 41 degrees nose-up during the stall sequence.
- 05The stabilizer trim was found at 10.25 degrees nose-up and was not adjusted during the go-around.
- 06Weather at the time included light rain, intra-cloud lightning, and a low ceiling of 600 feet.
Safety Actions & Advisories
CRM Training Emphasis
The investigation highlighted the need for improved Crew Resource Management training to ensure better coordination during high-workload phases like missed approaches.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the official investigation report.