
Narrative:
The Boeing 737-200, registration XA-UHZ crashed on takeoff from Havana-José Martà International Airport, Cuba. The aircraft came down in vegetation near a railway outside the airport, broke up and burst into flames. There were 107 passengers on board along with six Mexican crew members. Three passengers initially survived the accident. One survivor died on May 21 and a second died on May 25.
The aircraft was owned and operated by Mexican airline Damojh AerolÃneas, operating as Global Air, on behalf of Cubana. XA-UHZ began its operations in Cuba starting May 14, 2018.
On May 18, the day of the accident, the aircraft flew a trip from Havana to Santiago de Cuba and back, arriving at Havana at 10:20 hours local time. The next trip to be flight 972 to HolguÃn, Cuba, with a scheduled departure time of 11:00 hours.
In the preparation for this flight calculations were made of takeoff weight and weight distribution. The cabin configuration on the load sheet differed from the actual configuration of XA-UHZ.
Based on these data the Centre of Gravity (CG) was calculated to be at 17.4%. Actually it was 28.5%, close to the rear limit of the aircraft, which is 29%. Consequently the horizontal stabilizer trim was set at 5 3/4 units, instead of 3 1/4 units.
At 12:00 hours the flight was cleared to start the engines. Subsequently the aircraft was cleared to taxi to runway 06 for departure. In between working the checklists, the crew were engaged in non-flight related conversations.
After receiving clearance for takeoff, the aircraft began to accelerate down runway 06. As soon as it rotated from the runway, the aircraft attained a nose-high and right wing low attitude. The GPWS warning began to sound in the cockpit: "Bank angle, bang angle!" The bank angle reached 35° before the aircraft rolled back. It banked right and left several times with the nose reaching about 30 degrees nose up. The crew issued a Mayday call. The aircraft lost speed and began an uncontrolled descent until it impacted the ground about 40 seconds after lifting off the runway.
Most likely causes (translated from Spanish):
The CEIAA has considered that the most probable cause of the accident was the collapse of the aircraft, as a consequence of its entry into abnormal positions immediately after the separation of the landing gear from the runway surface (Lift off) during take-off, which led to the loss of control due to a chain of errors, with a preponderance in the human factor.
Contributing factors:
- inconsistencies in crew training;
- errors in weight and balance calculations;
- low operational standards manifested in flight.
Loss of control
» SCT Mexico
MUHA 181455Z 17006KT 140V220 9000 SCT013 OVC130 27/24 Q1015
15:55 UTC / 11:55 local time:
MUHA 181555Z 17004KT 140V220 9000 SCT017 OVC210 28/23 Q1015
16:55 UTC / 12:55 local time:
MUHA 181655Z 13005KT 090V190 9000 SCT018 OVC130 29/23 Q1015
accident date: 18-05-2018
type: Boeing 737-201
registration: XA-UHZ
accident date: 18-05-2018
type: Boeing 737-201
registration: XA-UHZ
accident date: 18-05-2018
type: Boeing 737-201
registration: XA-UHZ
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Friday 18 May 2018 |
| Time: | 12:10 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-201 Advanced |
| Operating for: | Cubana de Aviación |
| Leased from: | Global Air |
| Registration: | XA-UHZ |
| MSN: | 21816/592 |
| First flight: | 1979-07-15 (38 years 11 months) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 69596 |
| Cycles: | 70651 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 106 / Occupants: 107 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 112 / Occupants: 113 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 1 km (0.6 mls) E of Havana-José Martà International Airport (HAV) ( Cuba)
|
| Phase: | Takeoff (TOF) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Havana-José Martà International Airport (HAV/MUHA), Cuba |
| HolguÃn-Frank Pais Airport (HOG/MUHG), Cuba | |
| Flightnumber: | CU972 |
The Boeing 737-200, registration XA-UHZ crashed on takeoff from Havana-José Martà International Airport, Cuba. The aircraft came down in vegetation near a railway outside the airport, broke up and burst into flames. There were 107 passengers on board along with six Mexican crew members. Three passengers initially survived the accident. One survivor died on May 21 and a second died on May 25.
The aircraft was owned and operated by Mexican airline Damojh AerolÃneas, operating as Global Air, on behalf of Cubana. XA-UHZ began its operations in Cuba starting May 14, 2018.
On May 18, the day of the accident, the aircraft flew a trip from Havana to Santiago de Cuba and back, arriving at Havana at 10:20 hours local time. The next trip to be flight 972 to HolguÃn, Cuba, with a scheduled departure time of 11:00 hours.
In the preparation for this flight calculations were made of takeoff weight and weight distribution. The cabin configuration on the load sheet differed from the actual configuration of XA-UHZ.
Based on these data the Centre of Gravity (CG) was calculated to be at 17.4%. Actually it was 28.5%, close to the rear limit of the aircraft, which is 29%. Consequently the horizontal stabilizer trim was set at 5 3/4 units, instead of 3 1/4 units.
At 12:00 hours the flight was cleared to start the engines. Subsequently the aircraft was cleared to taxi to runway 06 for departure. In between working the checklists, the crew were engaged in non-flight related conversations.
After receiving clearance for takeoff, the aircraft began to accelerate down runway 06. As soon as it rotated from the runway, the aircraft attained a nose-high and right wing low attitude. The GPWS warning began to sound in the cockpit: "Bank angle, bang angle!" The bank angle reached 35° before the aircraft rolled back. It banked right and left several times with the nose reaching about 30 degrees nose up. The crew issued a Mayday call. The aircraft lost speed and began an uncontrolled descent until it impacted the ground about 40 seconds after lifting off the runway.
Probable Cause:
Most likely causes (translated from Spanish):
The CEIAA has considered that the most probable cause of the accident was the collapse of the aircraft, as a consequence of its entry into abnormal positions immediately after the separation of the landing gear from the runway surface (Lift off) during take-off, which led to the loss of control due to a chain of errors, with a preponderance in the human factor.
Contributing factors:
- inconsistencies in crew training;
- errors in weight and balance calculations;
- low operational standards manifested in flight.
Accident investigation:

 |
|
Classification:
Centre of Gravity outside limitsLoss of control
Sources:
» Radio Coco» SCT Mexico
METAR Weather report:
14:55 UTC / 10:55 local time:MUHA 181455Z 17006KT 140V220 9000 SCT013 OVC130 27/24 Q1015
15:55 UTC / 11:55 local time:
MUHA 181555Z 17004KT 140V220 9000 SCT017 OVC210 28/23 Q1015
16:55 UTC / 12:55 local time:
MUHA 181655Z 13005KT 090V190 9000 SCT018 OVC130 29/23 Q1015
Follow-up / safety actions
Mexican aviation authorities suspended the AOC of Global Air as of May 21, as it initiated a safety inspection.
Photos
accident date: 18-05-2018
type: Boeing 737-201
registration: XA-UHZ
accident date: 18-05-2018
type: Boeing 737-201
registration: XA-UHZ
accident date: 18-05-2018
type: Boeing 737-201
registration: XA-UHZ
Video, social media
Video of #Boeing #737 crash #GlobalAir #Cubana pic.twitter.com/BXCfJVDs4Z
— Dr. Bob Baron (@TACGAirSafety) May 25, 2018
#URGENTE Nuevas fotos del accidente aéreo en La Habana
— Sumarium (@sumariumcom) 18 mei 2018
https://t.co/IsHq0JDXiA pic.twitter.com/u14qzLY9ut
Aircraft history
| date | registration | operator | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 July 1979 | N769N | Boeing | first flight |
| 7 August 1979 | N769N | Piedmont Airlines | delivered |
| 27 Nov.1988 | N227AU | Piedmont Airlines | new registration |
| 5 August 1989 | N227AU | USAir | airline merged |
| 27 Feb. 1997 | N227AU | US Airways | airline renamed |
| 27 Sep. 2000 | C-FRYH | Royal Airlines | |
| 1 May 2001 | C-FRYH | Canada 3000 Airlines | airline aquired by Canada 3000 |
| 19 Oct. 2001 | N227AU | US Navy | leased |
| 16 March 2005 | XA-MAK | Magnicharters | |
| Aug. 2007 | XA-UHZ | Global Air | |
| 2007-2018 | XA-UHZ | NACAM - National Airways Cameroon; Avolar; Benin Golf Air; Aero Caribbean; Línea Aérea SINAMI; EasySky Airlines; Cubana |
leased |
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Havana-José Martà International Airport to HolguÃn-Frank Pais Airport as the crow flies is 671 km (419 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
Distance from Havana-José Martà International Airport to HolguÃn-Frank Pais Airport as the crow flies is 671 km (419 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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