Aircraft Reportedly Landed Long And Skidded Off End Of Runway

With information still coming in, authorities report at least five people were killed and 65 injured Friday when an airliner operated by Central America's TACA Airlines skidded off the end of the runway at Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and onto a road in a botched landing attempt.

The Airbus A320 was enroute from San Salvador, originating in Los Angeles. A total of 124 passengers plus crew were aboard.

TACA officials said the aircraft (file photo of type, below) departed the end of the runway, and down a 66-foot embankment. The airliner crossed a road and fuselaqe separated into three pieces. Photos show the nose and forward compartment of the aircraft wedged against an embankment on the other side of the road.

TACA manager Armando Funes said to AFP he could not give precise figures about the victims but told local media that "the plane was completely destroyed" and that "the passengers were being taken to hospitals for evaluation."

According to Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, Nicaraguan Harry Brautigam, president of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, was among those killed in the crash.

At least 65 others have been hospitalized, including Brazil's ambassador to Tegucigalpa, Jose Roberto de Almeida Pinto.

A post crash fire ensued and as a result many were being treated for smoke inhalation, rescue personnel said.

Authorities did not immediately say whether there were any casualties on the ground at the time of the crash.

Witnesses say poor visibility at the time of the attempted landing may have contributed to the crash. "It was a difficult landing due to the clouds at Toncontin (airport). The cloud ceiling was very low and the pilot attempted to land on the first try but had to take flight again," said Honduras' Industry and Commerce Minister Norman Garcia.

"On the second try, I saw the plane's tires touch the runway right in front of the terminal, and that was a sign he had overshot the runway," he added.

The airport at Tegucigalpa lies within the center of a mountainous "bowl" and is considered by many aviation experts to be one of the most challenging airports in Central America for approaches, even in fair weather.

The accident today marks the eighth recorded for TACA since 1959. In 1997, the carrier underwent a significant expansion when it acquired several smaller regional airlines.

FMI: www.taca.com