Central American Airways Flight 731
Encyclopedia
Central American Airways Flight 731 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight between San Pedro Sula
and Tegucigalpa
, Honduras
. On February 14, 2011, the Central American Airlines Let L-410 Turbolet, registration
HR-AUQ, operating the flight crashed on approach to Toncontín International Airport
just before 9 am, killing all fourteen on board. The weather in the area was reportedly poor at the time of the crash.
Among the dead were Rodolfo Rovelo, Honduran Assistant Secretary for Public Works, and Jose Israel Salinas, leader of the United Workers Federation of Honduras. Former finance minister Carlos Chain was also on board. Additionally, two Americans and one Canadian are believed to have been aboard the plane. In response to the incident, the government of Honduras declared three days of national mourning for the deceased government officials.
In response to the crash, the Honduran government said it would undertake an investigation into the incident, and rescuers began searching for the aircraft's flight data recorder
and cockpit voice recorder
soon after it crashed. The head of the investigation stated that because the aircraft was European, and not American, it created difficulties as there were very few experienced local pilots and technicians trained to operate on the aircraft.
The accident raised questions about the safety and relocation of the Tegucigalpa Airport. The President of Honduras called for the airport to be relocated, stating that it was impossible to have a major airport in its current location due to the surrounding terrain.
HR-AUQ, serial number
912603. It first flew in 1991, and served with a number of airlines before the accident.
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
and Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. On February 14, 2011, the Central American Airlines Let L-410 Turbolet, registration
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...
HR-AUQ, operating the flight crashed on approach to Toncontín International Airport
Toncontín International Airport
Toncontín International Airport or Teniente Coronel Hernán Acosta Mejía Airport is a civil and military airport that serves Tegucigalpa, Honduras...
just before 9 am, killing all fourteen on board. The weather in the area was reportedly poor at the time of the crash.
Among the dead were Rodolfo Rovelo, Honduran Assistant Secretary for Public Works, and Jose Israel Salinas, leader of the United Workers Federation of Honduras. Former finance minister Carlos Chain was also on board. Additionally, two Americans and one Canadian are believed to have been aboard the plane. In response to the incident, the government of Honduras declared three days of national mourning for the deceased government officials.
In response to the crash, the Honduran government said it would undertake an investigation into the incident, and rescuers began searching for the aircraft's 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...
and cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit 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...
soon after it crashed. The head of the investigation stated that because the aircraft was European, and not American, it created difficulties as there were very few experienced local pilots and technicians trained to operate on the aircraft.
The accident raised questions about the safety and relocation of the Tegucigalpa Airport. The President of Honduras called for the airport to be relocated, stating that it was impossible to have a major airport in its current location due to the surrounding terrain.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Let L-410UVP-E20 Turbolet, registrationAircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
HR-AUQ, serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
912603. It first flew in 1991, and served with a number of airlines before the accident.