The crash of a passenger liner in Cuba: what we know. A passenger plane crashed in Cuba: there were about a hundred passengers on board, there are survivors What happened after

On May 18, 2018, a tragic plane crash occurred during a flight from Havana to Holguin by a Boeing 737 passenger liner belonging to the Cubana de Aviacion carrier. The plane crashed just a few kilometers from its takeoff site, killing more than a hundred people.

Chronicle of the plane crash of the Boeing 737 "Cubana de Aviacion" in Cuba

As follows from the officially presented data, the passenger airliner of the Cuban airline "Cubana de Aviacion" was flying from Havana to Holguín (the east coast of Cuba - ed.), But just a few seconds after takeoff, the plane began to lose altitude sharply, as a result which hit the ground, exploded.

In fact, the plane crashed near the capital airport of Cuba, which is perfectly visible in the video footage presented, however, witnesses claim that there were no visual problems (smoke, flame, etc.) on the aircraft.

Due to the fact that the crash site is located relatively close to the airport, teams of firefighters, rescuers and medical assistance arrived at the crash site relatively quickly, but even despite this fact, no one managed to survive in the tragedy, although the Cuban authorities did not confirm this fact for a long time.

Preliminary versions and reasons for the plane crash in Cuba on May 18, 2018

Experts investigating the crash have identified mainly three main versions of the tragedy, which, however, can only be confirmed or refuted after a thorough investigation.

Engine failure

The version about the refusal of the passenger airliner Boeing 737 of the company "Cubana de Aviacion" of the power unit appeared almost immediately after the tragedy, however, given the fact that the plane was not overloaded, and could well fly with one operating engine, it is logical to assume that either the version does not correspond to reality, or the tragedy could have been preceded by concomitant factors, for example, the failure of the second engine.

"If a passenger airliner could not pick up the required speed, then in the event of an engine failure, it will actually quickly lose it and begin to fall.", - the specialist says.

On the other hand, according to preliminary data, the dispatcher at the Cuban capital airport claims that the crew did not report technical problems on board.

Crew error

The version of the crew error is almost always considered in the investigation of plane crashes, and the current tragedy is no exception. It is reported that the aircraft was operated by a foreign crew, which, most likely, could become one of the circumstances of the tragedy, but only under certain conditions.

Considering the testimony of witnesses that the plane began to fall sharply, it is logical to assume that the actions of the pilots could have contributed to this.

Low-quality fuel

One of the versions of the plane crash with the participation of the Boeing 737 airliner in Cuba was also named a version of the low-quality fuel in the aircraft's tanks. There were no fundamental factors indicating precisely this circumstance, however, experts did not exclude that this version may also need to be carefully studied.

Injuries and victims of the plane crash in Cuba

Official data on how many passengers and crew members were on board the Boeing 737 passenger airliner that crashed on May 18, 2018. that the plane could carry on board up to 113 people.

As a result of the plane crash from great height and the subsequent explosion, only four citizens managed to survive, two of whom later died in most of their wounds and injuries.

UPD 23:00 All passengers and crew members of the plane that crashed near the capital of Cuba are foreign citizens. The website of the Cuban newspaper Granma reports. According to her, there were a total of 105 people on board, including five children. Earlier, there were data on 113 passengers and crew members. Meanwhile, several people survived the crash. However, according to Reuters, one of them has already died from burns in the hospital. Two more victims remain in the hospital in serious condition. The Boeing was leased by a Cuban airline from a Mexican carrier and piloted by a foreign crew. The plane was on a domestic flight to the east of Cuba. After takeoff, the ship crashed into an agricultural field near the first terminal of the airport. Jose Marty.

A Boeing 737 of a local airline crashed on takeoff at the Havana airport. The death toll is still unknown, but the Cuban authorities have already warned that it is likely that there are numerous victims.

For unclear reasons, the plane crashed to the ground almost immediately after takeoff from Jose Marti airport in Havana. The aircraft was heading to the city of Holguín in the east of Cuba. The Boeing was leased by Cubana de Aviacion from the Mexican Damojh and piloted by a foreign crew.

According to various sources, there were 104 or 107 passengers and crew on board. There are survivors of the crash - local residents told The Associated Press that they saw the victims being transported in ambulances. Rescue services are working at the scene of the tragedy; the leader of the country, Miguel Diaz Canel, also arrived there.

The Russian Consulate General is investigating whether there were citizens of our country on board the plane.


Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel


Photo AFP

Image copyright Reuters

A passenger plane crashed in Cuba. Onboard there were 104 passengers and six crew members.

The cause of the plane crash is still unknown, the Cuban authorities announced the beginning of an investigation.

There is no official data on the victims and injured so far, but the media claim that at least three people survived, they are in critical condition.

The Cuban authorities have declared national mourning in connection with the plane crash.

A Boeing 737 of Cubana de Aviacion, a state-owned Cuban airline, which took off from Havana airport, crashed shortly after takeoff. He was heading to the city of Holguin in the east of the island.

Among the passengers were mostly Cubans, only five were foreign nationals, the state portal Cubadebate reported.

What was seen from the ground

Eyewitnesses say they saw flames that engulfed the plane before falling.

“We heard an explosion and then saw a huge cloud of black smoke rising over the place where the plane crashed,” said local restaurateur Gilberto Menendez.

The Mexican Transport Authority said in a statement that there was a technical malfunction on board the plane during takeoff.

The American corporation Boeing announced that it is ready to send a group of its experts to Cuba, which is not prohibited by American law. Such a group will be led by the US Transportation Security Administration and the Cuban authorities.

The American embargo, imposed under President John F. Kennedy, continues to operate against Cuba.

"There was a plane crash. The news is not encouraging, apparently, there are a large number of victims," ​​- tweeted the head of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, who arrived at the scene.

Image copyright AFP Image copyright Reuters Image copyright AFP

The plane belonged to the Mexican company Aerolineas Damoj, while the Cuban company Cubana de Aviacion was on lease, the Mexican government said in a statement.

The aircraft was built in 1979 with six Mexican crew members on board, including the commander and co-pilot.

Boeing has already announced that it is ready to send a team of specialists to help the Cuban authorities.

Image copyright Getty Images

"I saw him take off," supermarket employee Jose Luis told AFP. "Suddenly, he made a turn and began to fall. We were all amazed."

Local radio tweeted that the plane crashed on the road between Havana and Boyeros, 20 kilometers south of the capital.

Last year was named the safest in the history of commercial transportation, according to the results of the Aviation Safety Network study - no crashes were recorded passenger aircraft.

However, this year there have already been several serious accidents. Last month in Algeria, a military plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 257 people.

Declared official mourning in the country for the next two days due to the plane crash that occurred on the afternoon of May 18 in Havana. On Friday around noon, a Boeing 737-200 plane crashed immediately after takeoff from international airport named after Jose Martí. There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board. According to the flight engineer, a technical failure could have been the cause of the crash.

The Council of State of Cuba has declared official mourning in the country for the next two days due to the plane crash that occurred in the afternoon of May 18 in Havana. On Friday around noon, a Boeing 737-200 plane crashed immediately after takeoff from Jose Marti International Airport, FAN reports.

There were 104 passengers and six crew members on board (110 people in total). Flight DMJ 0972 was heading from Havana to Holguín province, Cuba Debate reports.

According to Cuban media reports, the plane was leased by Cubana de Aviación from the Mexican airline Damojh and piloted by a foreign crew. It is known that one of the women who survived the crash died in the hospital. Two other victims are in serious condition in the intensive care unit.

Before the crash, witnesses said the plane turned to return to the airport and crashed into power lines.

As noted, the first rescuers arrived at the scene 12 minutes after the fall. The first footage from the crash site of a passenger airliner appeared on the Web. The video captures the first footage after the disaster. The footage shows a column of black smoke that rises above the crash site near the airstrip at Havana airport.

There were no Russian citizens aboard the plane that crashed near Havana, NSN reports with reference to the Russian Embassy in Cuba. It is known that among the dead there are two citizens of Argentina.

“The ministry is saddened to report that two Argentine citizens died today in Havana in a plane crash of a commercial passenger plane that crashed on takeoff from the airport,” the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The flight engineer who serviced the flight, which took off a few minutes earlier than the plane that crashed on Friday near Havana, believes that the cause of the plane crash could be a technical failure, RIA Novosti reports.

“Today (Friday), at about 11 am, we, the members of the two crews, met at the terminal (Havana airport) office for lunch and exchanged a few words before the flight.

We will not meet like this again - most likely, due to a technical failure that occurred in aircraft", - said the specialist.

“I know you must be in a lot of pain. Imagine the pain I feel, a 17-year flight engineer, colleague and friend of the crew of the (crashed) Boeing 737-200. 13 minutes before its fall, our crew, on another domestic Cubana flight, flew to the province of Santiago de Cuba. We communicated with them by radio, taxiing to the runway ... ", - explained the flight engineer.

There were over a hundred people on board

May 18. An ordinary day in the capital of hot and joyful Cuba was overshadowed by a terrible tragedy. Around noon, a passenger airliner crashed near Jose Marti airport, which is located near Havana.

One of the first about terrible tragedy reported the publication "The Sun". According to him, the plane crashed immediately after takeoff at 12:30 local time (the difference with Moscow is nine hours).

As "Region online" found out, a monstrous tragedy happened to. Many Russians clung to TV screens and started watching news feeds. This is because tourists, including Russian ones, could have been on board this plane.

Timeline of the fall

The Boeing-737-200 airliner, leased from the Mexican company Damojh by the Cubana de Aviacion air carrier, was supposed to take off from Jose Marti International Airport at half the first day and go to the east of Cuba, to the city of Holguín. It was a domestic flight, but tourists could also fly on it.

Russian citizens could be on board crashed plane, - emphasized in the Russian Embassy in Cuba.

This message alarmed the people of our country. The tragedy that happened in Cuba could no longer pass by the Russians.

According to various sources, there were from 103 to 109 passengers and crew members on board. Immediately after takeoff, the plane began to descend and fell to the ground. Puffs of smoke were visible from Havana itself. It is not surprising, because the place of the fall was located only 30 kilometers from the Cuban capital.

It is noteworthy that the tragedy could have become even worse, because the air port almost fell on the campus. So, in the immediate vicinity of the crash site, students of a Cuban school live.

Numerous photos and. The footage of the Havana-Holguin plane shows that the scatter of the fragments was not very large - the reason for this was that the plane began to fall immediately after takeoff.

Emergency services arrived at the scene. Even from the initial data, it was clear that people could survive in a plane crash.

What happened after?

Dozens of specialists arrived at the scene of the incident almost instantly, but by that time local residents had also pulled up to it. The photo from the scene of the tragedy shows that a whole crowd has gathered not far from the blazing plane. The police had to cordon off.


Together with the emergency services, the leader of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, went to the scene of the tragedy. He was the first to report that there were many casualties as a result of the disaster. Then the Russian Embassy in Cuba began to check the information about whether there were any.

The first versions of the reasons for the fall immediately appeared. Previously,. The journalists found out that the airline operating the Havana-Holguin flight used old planes. So, Boeing, which crashed in Cuba, worked for about 10 years.

At the same time, data began to appear that survivors were found among the wreckage of the Havana-Holguin plane that crashed in Cuba.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing people being taken away in ambulances from the crash site. This information was quickly confirmed.


It turned out that as a result of a plane crash. All forces were thrown into their salvation. They were provided with all the necessary assistance and were hospitalized, as the eyewitnesses told about.

Later, one of the three survivors of the plane crash died in hospital. At the same time, it turned out that among the dead there are at least five children. The surviving passengers are in serious condition.

Effects

As a result, more than a hundred people, including several children, died in a plane crash in Cuba. The Russian Embassy is still checking information about Russian citizens on board the crashed Havana-Holguin plane. Previously, there were no Russians in Boeing.

However, information about tourists on board was confirmed - there were citizens of Italy and Germany on the plane.

Representatives of the Russian consulate expressed condolences to the families of those killed in this terrible tragedy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also addressed Cuban State Council Chairman Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and the families of the victims of the plane crash with condolences.

The head of the Russian state conveyed words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to those who managed to survive in this disaster, the Kremlin press service said.

In the near future, there will be new information about how the Havana-Holguin plane crashed in Cuba. In the meantime, people experiencing tragedy have to be content with the crumbs of available information.

Igor STEBLINOV

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