Investigation Summary
The flight was a non-scheduled charter carrying 115 passengers, primarily Italian tourists, destined for Milan with a technical stop in Cologne. At the time of departure, Havana was experiencing a severe thunderstorm with cumulonimbus clouds and wind gusts up to 50 mph. Despite these conditions, the crew initiated takeoff from Runway 05. As the aircraft climbed through 40 meters (130 feet), the crew retracted the flaps from 30 degrees to 15 degrees in an attempt to increase airspeed. However, this reduced the wing's lift at a critical moment when the aircraft was struck by a powerful downdraft. The Il-62M reached a maximum altitude of only 56 meters (184 feet) before it began to descend. The aircraft struck ILS aerials 220 meters past the runway end, hit a small hill, and plowed into the residential area of Rancho Boyeros. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft and several homes.
Final Conclusions
The investigation by the Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba (IACC) concluded that the primary causes were the presence of severe low-altitude windshear and the pilot's unwise decision to proceed with the takeoff despite deteriorating weather conditions. The captain underestimated the risks posed by the storm and misjudged the aircraft's performance capabilities in such environment. The premature retraction of flaps was also noted as a contributing factor that reduced the aircraft's ability to recover from the downdraft.
Video Analysis
Cubana Flight 9046 – The Deadly Wind Shear Crash of 1989 — A detailed look at the crash of Cubana de Aviación Flight 9046, which remains the worst aviation disaster in Cuba's history.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
First Officer
Navigator
Flight Engineer
Identified as mechanic in source; role on Il-62 flight deck is Flight Engineer.
Flight Engineer
Identified as mechanic in source; role on Il-62 flight deck is Flight Engineer.
Systems & Failure Modes
Flaps
The crew retracted flaps from 30° to 15° during the initial climb, which reduced lift and contributed to the descent when the aircraft hit a downdraft.
ILS Aerials
The aircraft struck the Instrument Landing System antennas located past the runway threshold during its forced descent.
Interesting Facts
- 01The accident is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on Cuban soil.
- 02The aircraft was nearly new, manufactured in 1988 (MSN 3850453) with only 1,326 airframe hours.
- 03Official reports list 24 ground fatalities, though some sources, including aircraftinvestigation.info, report up to 45 ground fatalities and 63 injuries.
- 04The wind at the time of takeoff was reported as 90 degrees at 20-26 knots with gusts up to 50 mph.
- 05While officially designated as Flight 9046, some records refer to the flight as 9646.
- 06Most of the passengers were Italian holidaymakers returning from vacation.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Windshear Awareness
The investigation highlighted the need for better pilot training regarding the recognition and avoidance of low-altitude windshear, especially during the critical takeoff phase.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the official investigation report.