ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 321227
| Date: | Thursday 4 November 2010 |
| Time: | 17:51 |
| Type: |  ATR 72-212 |
| Owner/operator: | Aerocaribbean |
| Registration: | CU-T1549 |
| MSN: | 459 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1995 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 25000 hours |
| Cycles: | 34500 flights |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 68 / Occupants: 68 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Guasimal, Sancti Spiritus Province -
 Cuba
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Santiago-Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU/MUCU) |
| Havana-José Martí International Airport (HAV/MUHA) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
An ATR-72-212 passenger plane, registration CU-T1549, was destroyed in an accident near Guasimal, Sancti Spiritus Province, Cuba. All 68 on board were killed. The airplane operated on Aerocaribbean Flight 883 from Port-au-Prince Airport (PAP), Haiti to Santiago-Antonio Maceo Airport (SCU), Cuba and Havana-José Martí International Airport (HAV). It took off from Santiago at 16:44 and climbed to a cruising altitude of FL180. At 17:36 the crew contacted Havana Control, requesting permission to climb to FL200.
During the climb the Total Air Temperature (TAT) dropped from +3°C to -1°C. The airspeed dropped from 196 kts to 176 kts.
At 17:44, at FL200, the ICING caution light illuminated on the instrument panel with an associated chime. This was followed by the illumination of the AOA light several seconds later. At 17:46 the crew toggled the anti-icing switches on the overhead panel and contacted Havana Control to request permission to descent to FL160 due to icing.
However, the controller reported conflicting traffic 30 miles ahead. The crew then requested vectors to enable them to descend. Clearance was given to change course from 295° to 330°. At 17:49, with an airspeed of 156 kts, the airplane commenced a right bank. Then suddenly the airplane banked left and right before banking 90° to the left again with a steep nose down attitude. The crew struggled to control the plane, which was banking turning and losing altitude. At 17:51:03 the airplane struck mountainous terrain.
After a six-week investigation, civil aviation officials concluded that "the flight was proceeding normally until it found itself in extreme meteorological conditions that caused the airplane to ice up severely at an altitude of 20,000ft (6,100 m). This, in conjunction with errors by the crew in managing the situation, caused the accident."
Sources:
Cuba says all 68 on board died in plane crash
ATR Statement
Location
Images:
photo (c) via Werner Fischdick; Lanzarote Airport (ACE/GCRR); January 2001
photo (c) Merijn Passchier; Lanzarote Airport (ACE/GCRR); September 2003
Revision history:
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