Investigation Summary
The aircraft, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-N originally built in 1960, was being leased by the Guatemalan airline Aerovías from the Ecuadorian carrier SAETA. It was powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon 531B turbojet engines. On the morning of January 18, 1986, it departed Guatemala City for a short 40-minute flight to Flores. The flight proceeded normally until the arrival at Santa Elena Airport. The crew attempted an initial approach but was too high, resulting in an overshoot. During the maneuver to return for a second landing attempt, the aircraft struck a hill and caught fire. The crash remains the deadliest aviation accident in Guatemalan history. Notable victims included the former Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Arístides Calvani and his family. Investigation efforts were hampered by the lack of data; while the aircraft was equipped with flight recorders, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) provided limited insight into the crew's final actions due to the age of the equipment and the severity of the post-impact fire. Weather at the time was reported as overcast with a ceiling of approximately 300 to 500 feet, significantly below the requirements for a safe visual approach in the hilly terrain surrounding Flores.
Final Conclusions
The official investigation was unable to definitively establish the cause of the crash. However, the circumstances strongly suggest Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Meteorological reports indicated low cloud cover in the area at the time of the accident, which likely contributed to the flight crew losing situational awareness or orientation during the second approach sequence.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Visual Reference
The pilots likely relied on visual cues for the approach, which were obscured by low cloud cover.
Interesting Facts
- 01The accident is the deadliest air disaster in the history of Guatemala.
- 02The aircraft was a 26-year-old Sud Aviation Caravelle leased from the Ecuadorian airline SAETA.
- 03Most of the passengers were Guatemalan and foreign tourists traveling to visit the Tikal Maya ruins.
- 04The crash occurred during the second landing attempt after the first approach was aborted due to being too high.
- 05The aircraft was destroyed by a post-impact explosion and fire.
- 06Among the victims was Arístides Calvani, a former Venezuelan Foreign Minister, along with his wife and two daughters.
Safety Actions & Advisories
CFIT Awareness Training
Source ↗Following the accident, emphasis was placed on the importance of situational awareness during visual approaches in mountainous terrain, particularly when weather conditions are marginal.