Many killed when plane bursts into flames after landing in Khartoum The former head of Honduras’ armed forces, Gen. Daniel Lopez Carballo, was also among the injured. Die WELT als ePaper: Die vollständige Ausgabe steht Ihnen bereits am Vorabend zur Verfügung – so sind Sie immer hochaktuell informiert. "He speculated that a strain or microscopic fissure in the metal may have added to pressure on the wheels, leading to the structure tearing. And 2 persons on the ground were killed. Central American Airways Flight 731 was a passenger flight which crashed on approach to Toncontín International Airport, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on February 14, 2011.All 14 on board died. Toncontin International Airport was named the second most dangerous air haven in the world by the American History Channel’s ‘Most Extreme Airports’ program. Tan-Sahsa Flight 414 was a scheduled flight from Juan Santamaría International Airport, San José, Costa Rica to Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with a stopover at Augusto C. Sandino Airport in Managua, Nicaragua on 21 October 1989. Following the crash, officials acknowledged that the runways of Tegucigalpa's aging Toncontin International Airport are short and its approach paths are dangerous.
"An aircraft is under massive, massive pressure when it lands at speeds of like 200 miles an hour. At least 65 people were injured. A Lockheed C-130H Hercules plane, serial 88-4408, was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU), Honduras. "The people would've been sitting more to the front, and no one being killed is a testament to the wearing of seat belts," he said, adding that there will be a thorough investigation to ensure similar accidents can be prevented in future.In 2008, a plane of the former airline TACA crashed in nearly the same spot. There were 118 passengers and six crew members on board. And because of the hills, pilots have to make an unusually steep approach.In 1997, a U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane overshot the runway at Toncontin and rolled 200 yards (180 meters) before bursting into flames on a major boulevard, killing three people aboard.The worst crash associated with the airport came in 1989 when a Honduran airliner hit a nearby hill, killing 133 people. Five people died in that crash.Surrounded by mountains and with a very short runway, the Toncontin airport is considered one of the world's most treacherous.The government is constructing a new international airport about 50km (31 miles) away from the capital. The airplane operated on a flight from Balboa-Howard AFB (BLB) to Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU). Honduran authorities frantically hosed down cars trapped beneath the wreckage as thousands of gallons of fuel gushed from the jet.Rescuers pried open part of the wreckage to get the pilot and co-pilot out, but the pilot didn’t survive, said Cesar Villalta, director of Honduras’ military hospital.Passenger Harry Brautigam, a Nicaraguan who headed a regional development bank, died of heart failure. The aircraft involved, a Let L-410 Turbolet, was operating Central American Airlines' scheduled domestic service from San Pedro Sula to Tegucigalpa. A statement from the office of President Manuel Zelaya said the flight originated in Los Angeles and that 65 people were injured in crash. Almost all the remainder were from other Central American countries.Honduran air officials said they would close the terminal to large jets and permanently transfer those flights to the former military airfield at Palmerola.Larger jets will now operate out of the Palmerola airport, also known as the Soto Cano base, about 45 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital.Used by the United States during the Central American civil wars of the 1980s, Palmerola has the best runway in the country at 2,700 meters (8,850 feet) long and 50 meters (165 feet) wide and is used most for drug surveillance planes. The airplane operated on a flight from San Salvador-Comalapa International Airport (SAL) to Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU). The runway was wet with rain from Tropical Storm Alma. Five people died in that crash. These are external links and will open in a new window Panama says new evidence shows 1994 plane crash 'terrorist' incident MH370 not deliberately crashed by pilot, say investigators Cuba plane crash: Grettel Landrove becomes 111th victim Cuba plane crash: Damojh company 'had safety complaints' The body of a man trapped under the wreckage was believed to be a taxi driver.Janneth Shantall, the wife of Brazilian Ambassador Brian Michael Fraser Neele, was also killed in the crash. There were seven Americans, three Mexicans, two Spaniards, two Brazilians, and two Colombians aboard. An Airbus A320-233 passenger plane, registered EI-TAF, was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU), Honduras. There have been calls for years to replace the aging Toncontin airport, whose short runway, primitive navigation equipment and neighboring hills make it one of the world’s more dangerous international airports.The airport was built in 1948 with a runway less than 5,300 feet (1,600 meters) long – shorter than that of a small field such as Municipal Airport in Goldsboro, North CarolinaThe altitude of some 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) forces pilots to use more runway on landings and takeoffs than they would at sea level. The airport is ringed by hills, posing a special challenge for pilots.There was no official cause given for the crash, but weather may have also been a factor.