Boeing 737 Broke Into Three Pieces As It Slid Down The Runway

A Boeing 737-100 operated by Aerovias de Integracion Regional SA went down during a landing attempt in a thunderstorm on San Andres Island in the Caribbean Monday. There has reportedly been only one fatality among the 131 people on board the aircraft.

Colombian Air Force Col, David Barrero told The New York Times that officials were looking into reports that Aires flight 8520 was hit by lightning before the accident, which occurred at 0149 local time. The island is about 120 miles off the coast of Nicaragua.

Officials say that 119 people from the jetliner were treated at local medical facilities, and five were deemed to be seriously injured. The Colombian government said that the plane had left Bogota about midnight. Eight U.S. citizens were though to be on board.

One passenger, Ricardo Ramirez, said that the landing seemed to be normal, but there were flashes of lightning around the aircraft. But he said the accident "appeared out of nowhere," with the plane coming down short of the runway and sliding on its belly, breaking into three pieces as it went. Firefighters quickly doused a small fire on the wing of the airplane.

A doctor at Amor de Patria Hospital on the island said the initial indication is that the only person to die as the result of the accident apparently had a heart attack. That person has been identified as 68-year-old Amar Fernandez de Baretto.

FMI: www.sanandres.com, www.aires.aero