I have some inside info to share with you all. I met a person who is a relative of one of my friends. That person lives in Maracaibo, Zulia State. That person is studying forensic medicine in Maracaibo and she got the "opportunity" to help with the autopsies of the bodies from the crash. She said that they identified 3 corpses who according to the pax manifest were seated in the back of the MD82. They presented no burns, they died of mutilation and "trimulation" (I dont know the correct translation) One of them had a "metal stick" stuck in the torso. She said many other things that I rather not recall... it was simply horrible. If those people weren't burned, I guess the plane wasnt on fire before it crashed as some witnesses said...
By the way... it was decided today that both engines will be shipped to Canada for an inspection. They said that the engine's manucfaturer is located in Canada... Were those engines P&W?
Luis
[Edited 2005-08-19 04:34:56]
Viasa we miss you!. Good times will return after Chavez is gone!
DfwRevolution From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 11066 times:
>> She said many other things that I rather not recall... it was simply horrible. If those people weren't burned, I guess the plane wasnt on fire before it crashed as some witnesses said...
Just because the fire did not propegate to the cabin does not mean one did not exist on the exterior. Upon the crash, a section of the fuselage (or rows of seat benches) could have been thrown clear of any post-crash fires.
SOUTHAMERICA From Colombia, joined Dec 2003, 2496 posts, RR: 15 Reply 3, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 11059 times:
Another shocking fact:
This MD-82, after completing its journey to Martinique, was supposed to return to Colombia, specifically to San Andres, to take some passengers from the island to several mainland cities...
After the accident, many low-budget travellers were stranded in San Andres island having no way to return to their home-towns, and shocked by the fact that it could have been them the ones inside the plane.
Well, the FAC [Colombian Air Force] designated one of its aircraft to bring all those people back, and, as a freaky, bizarre coincidence, the plane had to declare an emergency upon landing in MDE because of what the media described to be "serious trouble with landing gear".
The plane was kept in the air for a while longer, and was diverted to BOG, were it finally landed safely.
_____________________________________
Here's a photograph of the aircraft in MDE, the evening before the accident.
Legacy135 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 1052 posts, RR: 29 Reply 4, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 10433 times:
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 3): Well, the FAC [Colombian Air Force] designated one of its aircraft to bring all those people back
I am positively impressed about the Colombian Governement who organized together with the Armed Forces the transport for those stranded passengers
I guess some of our European Governements could take this as an example. I fear, over here they would see the transport back in the responsibility of the airline and the tour operator and only provide such a service after several days. Well done Colombianos!
Bongo From Colombia, joined Oct 2003, 1858 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 10356 times:
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 3): Well, the FAC [Colombian Air Force] designated one of its aircraft to bring all those people back, and, as a freaky, bizarre coincidence, the plane had to declare an emergency upon landing in MDE because of what the media described to be "serious trouble with landing gear".
The plane was kept in the air for a while longer, and was diverted to BOG, were it finally landed safely.
Southa: Why they did not land in MDE even with an emergency?
MDE: First airport in the Americas visited by the A380!
CM767 From Panama, joined Dec 2004, 639 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 10297 times:
Quoting Legacy135 (Reply 4): I am positively impressed about the Colombian government who organized together with the Armed Forces the transport for those stranded passengers
I am not impressed with Panamanian and Colombian authorities for allowing West to operate in the first place.
Boeing757/767 From United States of America, joined Jun 1999, 2264 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 10198 times:
Those engines were made by P&W in Connecticut, not Canada. P&W Canada makes small engines.
Bongo From Colombia, joined Oct 2003, 1858 posts, RR: 5 Reply 9, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 10172 times:
Quoting ACDC8 (Reply 7): Not that I'm superstitious, but interesting to note that in the picture you provided. It was stated that the aircraft was parked at Gate 13.
Many airplanes park at the gate 13 every day and 99.9999 % are succesful...so I don't really think this was the reason why the plane crashed.
MDE: First airport in the Americas visited by the A380!
SOUTHAMERICA From Colombia, joined Dec 2003, 2496 posts, RR: 15 Reply 10, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 10118 times:
Quoting Bongo (Reply 5): Why they did not land in MDE even with an emergency?
I honestly have no idea. Once they aborted landing in Medellin, they were simply told to continue to Bogota, were all the emergency measures were taking place. The plane landed fine at the end.
Quoting ACDC8 (Reply 7): Not that I'm superstitious, but interesting to note that in the picture you provided. It was stated that the aircraft was parked at Gate 13.
Good catch, and indeed, it's a bit strange. In Medellin, international gates are 11, 12, 13 and 14.
Gate 12 is always used by AA, and Gate 14 is always used by CM. Gate 11 and 13 are used jointly by AV and West...
...AV's 757 from MIA usually arrives in gate 13, but that night, as you see in the picture, it was parked in 11 leaving 13 for the crashed plane.
IDAWA From Italy, joined Aug 2004, 301 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days ago) and read 9731 times:
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 10): Quoting Bongo (Reply 5):
Why they did not land in MDE even with an emergency?
I honestly have no idea. Once they aborted landing in Medellin, they were simply told to continue to Bogota, were all the emergency measures were taking place. The plane landed fine at the end.
If the problem wasn't supposed to be much serious, it's likely because - probably - BOG is a maintenance base for the Air Force and MDE not, or similar reasons.
It if was supposed to pose a threat on the safety of the aircraft, it may have been due to better conditions (fine weather, long runway, better rescue equipment....) in BOG than in MDE.
Legacy135 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 1052 posts, RR: 29 Reply 12, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days ago) and read 9495 times:
Quoting CM767 (Reply 6): I am not impressed with Panamanian and Colombian authorities for allowing West to operate in the first place.
This may be right if the rumors we can hear at the moment are going to be confirmed. But it's another story and there is more room for work in this aspect with quite a number of operators over the world. Unfortunately.
ACDC8 From Canada, joined Mar 2005, 7598 posts, RR: 40 Reply 13, posted (7 years 9 months 4 days ago) and read 9362 times:
Quoting Bongo (Reply 9): Many airplanes park at the gate 13 every day and 99.9999 % are succesful...so I don't really think this was the reason why the plane crashed.
Neither did I. I just mentioned that it's interesting.
TatTVC From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 86 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 7648 times:
If there's one thing my parents have learned about eye witness reports, people will say things that didn't even happen- just to get on TV. Many have said "the engines were on fire while the plane was still in the air" when the crash had nothing to do with fire, and there was no fire whatsoever.
Just my .002c-
TatTVC
"Your time is limited- don't waste it living someone else's life" -Steve Jobs
Luisde8cd From Venezuela, joined Aug 2004, 2516 posts, RR: 34 Reply 16, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 7541 times:
Quoting DFORCE1 (Reply 14): Does anyone have a picture of the Colombian air force plane that was used to transport the stranded passengers? What type of plane was it?
It was a 707. Former presidential transport plane.
Saludos desde Caracas,
Luis
Viasa we miss you!. Good times will return after Chavez is gone!
Legacy135 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 1052 posts, RR: 29 Reply 17, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 7385 times:
We faced the Helios crash in ATH just two days before the West crash. There is another factor that is shocking me:
Going to www.flyhelios.com we can see a series of press releases and condolences, expressed by the company and the management. Going to www.west.com.co nothing of it! Although I think they are not even operational by this time, it showed availability for the next day on BOG-RNG. I could not find any information on the companies page of the accident, no condolences nothing! What people do rule this company?
RICARIZA From Colombia, joined Apr 2005, 2355 posts, RR: 29 Reply 18, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 7253 times:
Quoting Bongo (Reply 5): Southa: Why they did not land in MDE even with an emergency?
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 10): I honestly have no idea. Once they aborted landing in Medellin, they were simply told to continue to Bogota, were all the emergency measures were taking place. The plane landed fine at the end.
Quoting DFORCE1 (Reply 14): Does anyone have a picture of the Colombian air force plane that was used to transport the stranded passengers? What type of plane was it?
The FAC (Colombian Air Force) plane was a Boeing 707 with 154 passengers on board, it was re-routed preventively to land in case of emergency, in BOG. This was the old presidential airplane, that it should have landed in Medellín but displayed an abnormal indication in the hydraulic system in its front when making the landing procedure in the airport Jose Maria Córdova but it landed safely without problems in BOG, where the travelers were taken to a Fokker and a Hercules in order to be taken to their final destiny in Medellin and Cali.
The Head of Air operations of the FAC, General Guzman, said that "Those systems have alternating ones that allow that the airplane operates normally, and therefore the flight never was in risk ".
The operation of support to the passengers of the company West
Caribbean will continue with other aircrafts, while the FAC -007 is currently being checked by the FAC mechanics.
I miss ACES, I am proud of AVIANCA & I am loyal to AMERICAN
SOUTHAMERICA From Colombia, joined Dec 2003, 2496 posts, RR: 15 Reply 19, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 6943 times:
Quoting RICARIZA (Reply 18): The FAC (Colombian Air Force) plane was a Boeing 707 with 154 passengers on board, it was re-routed preventively to land in case of emergency, in BOG.
The plane had 184 passengers onboard. It still isn't quite clear as to why exactly was the plane diverted to BOG; the emergency organisms in MDE could have equally hadled the situation.
Legacy135 From Switzerland, joined May 2005, 1052 posts, RR: 29 Reply 21, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 6863 times:
Quoting SOUTHAMERICA (Reply 19): The plane had 184 passengers onboard. It still isn't quite clear as to why exactly was the plane diverted to BOG; the emergency organisms in MDE could have equally hadled the situation.
Maybe they have their hangar and the spare parts in BOG. If we encounter a technical problem to an airport close to homebase and there is not an urgency, we do prefer to fly to the homebase and ferry the passengers back. This may result much simpler and cheaper operationswise.
Bongo From Colombia, joined Oct 2003, 1858 posts, RR: 5 Reply 22, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 6800 times:
Quoting Legacy135 (Reply 21): If we encounter a technical problem to an airport close to homebase and there is not an urgency, we do prefer to fly to the homebase and ferry the passengers back. This may result much simpler and cheaper operationswise.
I think is cheaper to send the spare part from BOG to MDE instead of ferry 180 passengers on different airplanes.
MDE: First airport in the Americas visited by the A380!
SOUTHAMERICA From Colombia, joined Dec 2003, 2496 posts, RR: 15 Reply 23, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 6728 times:
Quoting Legacy135 (Reply 21): Maybe they have their hangar and the spare parts in BOG. If we encounter a technical problem to an airport close to homebase and there is not an urgency, we do prefer to fly to the homebase and ferry the passengers back.
Sounds logical, but it's still strange considering that MDE is one of the few airports in Colombia which has a fully-operative FAC base sharing the same airport area with commercial operations [similar to BOG with Eldorado-Catam].
Hmmmm... From Canada, joined exactly 14 years ago today! , 2088 posts, RR: 5 Reply 24, posted (7 years 9 months 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 6710 times:
Why is it interesting that a plane that parked at a gate 13 crashed?
Don't you find it equally interesting that all the other planes that park at gates 13 all over the world, do not crash? Your observation can only be interesting if you are implying that planes that park at gates numbered 13 should not crash, and since this one did, that therefore constitutes something that is "interesting."
The only legitimately interesting observation that anyone can make regarding gates numbered 13, is if No plane using that number has ever crashed. THAT would be interesting!
An optimist robs himself of the joy of being pleasantly surprised
25 Legacy135: I don't know for this case. Just keep in mind, you won't only need a couple of screw drivers. You don't have to change a lot on an aircraft you will
26 RICARIZA: Right, it was a typo, 184 Pax. What I understood, is that having in mind that the plane had those errors, they decided to go to BOG where they have o
27 SOUTHAMERICA: Your point make sense, just bare in mind that there is no such thing as RNG; the three-letter code for Jose Maria Cordova International Airport is MD
28 Legacy135: You are right. I am always mixing VOR identifiers, IATA codes and my own creations ..... and then in Medellin are two airports and I never know which
29 757MDE: This is the 707 used by the Colombian Air Force for transporting passengers from ADZ to MDE and that finally landed at BOG due to the abnormal hydraul
30 777gk: She said that they identified 3 corpses who according to the pax manifest were seated in the back of the MD82. They presented no burns, they died of m
31 RCS763AV: The general argued that it was b/c of the longer and ampler runway in BOG (MDE: 3000m, BOG: 3800m) if there was an emergency, the aircraft would have
32 SOUTHAMERICA: MDE is 3500 meters long. Both MDE and BOG have the same runway width: 45 meters. SOUTHAMERICA
33 2travel2know: A large number of West Caribbean Airways passengers are tourist that have holiday programmes @ The Decameron Resorts in ADZ and PTY. That's probably
34 ACDC8: Because the number 13 is considered unlucky. A lot of airlines do not have a flight 13 or row 13 and some airports do not have a gate 13. It was a si
35 HAWK21M: Since this came up. At Bom. BDA/DHL have been allotted Bay #13 for all their Transitting Aircraft for the past 9 years. regds MEL
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