Investigation Summary
Flight 1216 was a special charter flight repatriating Guatemalan students from universities in Cuba. The approach to Runway 19 was conducted visually with the assistance of PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) and was described as stabilized. However, the aircraft touched down significantly further down the runway than intended. Despite the wet surface conditions, the crew did not initiate a go-around. Post-crash investigation revealed a significant discrepancy regarding the aircraft's spoilers: while the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) indicated they had deployed, the physical wreckage showed the spoilers in the down and locked position, and the cockpit spoiler handle was in an undefined state. The investigation could not definitively resolve this mechanical contradiction but concluded that the primary factors were the long touchdown and the crew's failure to abort the landing when it became clear the aircraft could not stop within the remaining distance.
Final Conclusions
The investigation, conducted by Guatemala's Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) with assistance from the French BEA, concluded that the accident was caused by the crew's failure to initiate a go-around after touching down too far along a wet runway. This resulted in insufficient deceleration and a subsequent runway excursion. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact with residential structures and subsequently written off.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Jorge Toledo, 54, employed by Cubana since 1972. Fatal.
First Officer
Cecelio Hernandez, 41, former Yak-42 captain. Fatal.
Flight Engineer
Moises Borges, 59, employed by Cubana since 1966. Fatal.
Systems & Failure Modes
Spoilers
Aerodynamic brakes used to reduce lift and increase drag upon landing. Investigators found a discrepancy between FDR data showing deployment and physical evidence showing them locked down.
PAPI
Precision Approach Path Indicator; a system of lights providing visual glideslope guidance to the pilots during the approach.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was 27 years old and had previously been involved in a hijacking in 1987 while operated by Air Afrique under registration TU-TAL.
- 02Among the fatalities was stewardess Johanna Toledo, the daughter of the flight's captain.
- 03The runway was wet at the time of the accident with a reported cloud base of 2,200 feet.
- 04The aircraft was leased from AOM French Airlines and carried French registration F-GTDI.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Runway Safety and Overrun Prevention
The investigation emphasized the importance of strict adherence to stabilized approach criteria and the necessity of initiating a go-around if a touchdown occurs beyond the designated landing zone, especially on wet or contaminated runways.
Spoiler System Maintenance and Verification
Following the discrepancy between FDR data and physical evidence, recommendations were made regarding the verification of spoiler deployment mechanisms and the reliability of cockpit indicators for ground spoilers.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Spoiler Deployment Discrepancy
Reference ↗The investigation noted a conflict between the Flight Data Recorder, which recorded the spoilers as deployed, and the physical wreckage, where they were found retracted and locked. The cause of this discrepancy was never determined.