Airplane In Which She Was A Passenger Went Down In Northern Mexico

Singer Jenni Rivera has been fatally injured in an an airplane accident while traveling to a concert in Toluca in central Mexico by private jet. The Learjet on which she was a passenger went down near the city of Monterrey at about 0430 EST Sunday.

Rivera was one of seven people on board the airplane, which according to the NTSB was a Learjet LJ25, including the crew. There were no survivors.

Authorities say the airplane disappeared from radar about 62 miles from Monterrey, Mexico, according to a report from Reuters. The Mexican ministry of communication and transportation said that the debris field was so spread out that it was difficult to recognize anything as being part of an airplane. The accident site in the municipality of Iturbide south of Monterrey is still being investigated.

Rivera was the daughter of Mexican immigrants born in Long Beach, CA. The 43-year-old singer and mother of five children had sold some 15 million records and received several Grammy nominations, according to her website.

FAA records indicate that the Lear was built in 1969, according to a report appearing in the Huffington Post. It had reportedly been involved in a previous incident in 2005 involving a fuel system malfunction, but no one was injured in that incident.

In a news release, the NTSB said it is dispatching investigators to assist the government of Mexico in its investigation of the accident. NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman has designated David Helson as the traveling U.S. Accredited Representative. Mr. Helson will be assisted from NTSB headquarters by investigative staff specializing in airplane airworthiness and flight crew operations as well as advisors from the FAA and Learjet.

The investigation is being conducted by the Mexican Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) which will release all information.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov