Thursday, May 19, 2011

Timeline: Worst air accidents in Argentina

With more than 80 deaths, the 1999 LAPA tragedy remains the worst air catastrophe in Argentine history.

The 5428 SOL airline flight which had 22 people aboard the plane, crashed last night in the remote countryside area of Prahuaniyeu in Rio Negro province, adding another chapter to the history of air tragedies in Argentina. What follows is a list of the major air accidents in recent history detailing the number of victims:

December 9, 1957: An Aerolíneas Argentinas Douglas DC-4 aircraft crash landed in the outskirts of the provincial area of Bolívar, while it was travelling to San Carlos de Bariloche. 61 deaths.

July 19, 1961: A Douglas DC-6 travelling to San Carlos de Bariloche exploded in the air, during a strong thunderstorm. 67 deaths.

November 8, 1995: A Fokker Air Force plane crash landed 20km from the town of Villa Dolores in Córdoba. 53 deaths.

October 10, 1997: An Austral Douglas DC-9 flight crashed in the area of Fray Bentos in Uruguay, while it was covering the route Posadas-Buenos Aires. 74 deaths.

August 31, 1999: A Boeing 737, LAPA aircraft crashed when trying to take off from Jorge Newbery Metropolitan Airport in Buenos Aires. The flight’s destination was Córdoba. There were more than 80 deaths. The crash remains the worst air tragedy in Argentine history.