Aeroméxico Flight 230
1981 aviation accident in Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On July 27, 1981, Aeroméxico Flight 230, operating a domestic passenger flight within Mexico, experienced a hard landing and runway excursion at Chihuahua International Airport. Thirty-two people were killed in the accident.
The aircraft in flames after running off the runway | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 July 1981 |
| Summary | Runway excursion due to bad weather |
| Site | |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
.jpg) XA-DEN, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1974 | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Aircraft name | Yucatan |
| Operator | Aeroméxico |
| IATA flight No. | AM230 |
| ICAO flight No. | AMX230 |
| Call sign | AEROMEXICO 230 |
| Registration | XA-DEN |
| Flight origin | Monterey-General Mariano Escobedo International Airport |
| Destination | Chihuahua International Airport |
| Occupants | 66 |
| Passengers | 60 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 32 |
| Injuries | 34 |
| Survivors | 34 |
While the plane was descending, heavy winds caused the plane to bounce upon touchdown. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, subsequently skidded off the runway, catching fire, and trapping around half of those on the plane.
Background
Accident
The flight was uneventful until landing at Chihuahua. There were isolated cumulonimbus clouds with strong squalls and showers during approach and landing. This was compounded by extremely low visibility.[2] Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced once and struck the ground with immense force. The aircraft then slid off the runway, broke up and caught fire.[3] Thirty-four passengers and crew were able to flee the wreckage; the smoke and fire caused the deaths of those that remained trapped.[4][1]
