Aerocon Flight 238
Encyclopedia
Aerocon Flight 238 was a domestic scheduled passenger service operated by Aerocon
, flying between El Trompillo Airport
, Santa Cruz de la Sierra
, Bolivia and Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport
, Trinidad, Bolivia
. On 6 September 2011, it was operated by a Swearingen SA.227BC Metroliner III
, registered
CP-2548. The aircraft crashed on approach to Trinidad, killing eight of the nine people on board.
CP-2548, c/n BC-768B. The aircraft had first flown in 1992 and had served with Aeromexico
, Aero Litoral and Merlin Airways
before its sale to Aerocon in January 2009.
, Santa Cruz de la Sierra
, for its hour-long, 380 kilometres (205.2 nmi) flight to Trinidad. At about 19:00 local time
(23:00 Zulu Time) the aircraft was reported to be 19 kilometres (10.3 nmi) north of the airport when contact was lost. A search was initiated, with the Fuerza Aérea Boliviana
performing it. At around 12:30 local time on 8 September, the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted at a location 29 kilometres (15.7 nmi) north east of the airport. Initial reports stated that there were survivors. Helicopters reached the crash site at 16:40 local time and it was discovered that eight of the nine people on board the aircraft had been killed in the crash. The survivor was discovered at around 09:00 local time on 9 September. He sustained a head wound and severe bruising but did not have any broken bones. He was airlifted to a hospital. The crash was heard by two fishermen, who informed the authorities of the approximate location of the crash. A minutes' silence was held in the Senate of Bolivia
in memory of those who were killed. It was reported that the VOR
had been out of service since 20 August and that a Non-precision approach was being attempted at the time of the accident.
and flight data recorder
were recovered from the wreckage and sent to Brazil for analysis.
Aerocon
Aerocon is a Bolivian airline.It started its operations in 2005.In 2006 the airline transferred its operational base to Trinidad. It is also called the Airline of Beni Department....
, flying between El Trompillo Airport
El Trompillo Airport
El Trompillo Airport is located in the south part of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, about 2km away from the central plaza.-Creation:It was created in 1920 with a lane that measured no more than 800 meters . The airport was given the name of “Captain Horacio Vasquez” honoring a pilot who died in an accident...
, Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
, Bolivia and Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport
Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport
Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport is an airport in Trinidad, Bolivia. It is the main hub both for Amaszonas and Aerocon. Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport is the main airport and entrance to the Bolivian Amazonic region.-Airlines and destinations:...
, Trinidad, Bolivia
Trinidad, Bolivia
Trinidad, officially La Santísima Trinidad , is a city in Bolivia, capital of the department of Beni. The population is 130,000 ....
. On 6 September 2011, it was operated by a Swearingen SA.227BC Metroliner III
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
, registered
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
CP-2548. The aircraft crashed on approach to Trinidad, killing eight of the nine people on board.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was Swearingen SA.227BC Metroliner IIIFairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
CP-2548, c/n BC-768B. The aircraft had first flown in 1992 and had served with Aeromexico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
, Aero Litoral and Merlin Airways
Merlin Airways
Merlin Airways is an American airline based in Billings, Montana, USA. It operates freight services under contract to FedEx Express and UPS Airlines. The airline previously conducted FAR Part 121 passenger operations in Alaska and Texas as well as providing charter service for gambling junkets...
before its sale to Aerocon in January 2009.
Accident
The aircraft took off from El Trompillo AirportEl Trompillo Airport
El Trompillo Airport is located in the south part of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, about 2km away from the central plaza.-Creation:It was created in 1920 with a lane that measured no more than 800 meters . The airport was given the name of “Captain Horacio Vasquez” honoring a pilot who died in an accident...
, Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
, for its hour-long, 380 kilometres (205.2 nmi) flight to Trinidad. At about 19:00 local time
UTC-4
UTC−04-00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −04.This offset is used in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone in Canada and the North American Eastern Time Zone during daylight saving time , in the Caribbean region this is considered as the Eastern Caribbean timezone...
(23:00 Zulu Time) the aircraft was reported to be 19 kilometres (10.3 nmi) north of the airport when contact was lost. A search was initiated, with the Fuerza Aérea Boliviana
Bolivian Air Force
The Bolivian Air Force is part of the Military of Bolivia.-History:By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft , and about 300 staff; the officers were...
performing it. At around 12:30 local time on 8 September, the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted at a location 29 kilometres (15.7 nmi) north east of the airport. Initial reports stated that there were survivors. Helicopters reached the crash site at 16:40 local time and it was discovered that eight of the nine people on board the aircraft had been killed in the crash. The survivor was discovered at around 09:00 local time on 9 September. He sustained a head wound and severe bruising but did not have any broken bones. He was airlifted to a hospital. The crash was heard by two fishermen, who informed the authorities of the approximate location of the crash. A minutes' silence was held in the Senate of Bolivia
National Congress of Bolivia
The Plurinational Legislative Assembly also known as the National Congress is the national legislature of Bolivia, based in the nation's de facto capital, La Paz....
in memory of those who were killed. It was reported that the VOR
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
had been out of service since 20 August and that a Non-precision approach was being attempted at the time of the accident.
Investigation
Bolivia's Directorate General of Civil Aviation opened an investigation into the accident. The cockpit voice recorderCockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
and flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
were recovered from the wreckage and sent to Brazil for analysis.