Air Disaster Caused by Procedural Error During Take-off

A tragic aircraft accident occurred in Argentina in 1999, when a plane failed to take off because of a procedural error.

According to Argentine local media outlet Clarín, the incident took place at 20:54 local time on 31 August 1999 at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires.

The aircraft was scheduled to fly to Córdoba after a brief delay for an engine inspection on the runway. It was a Boeing 737-204C operated by LAPA, carrying 98 passengers and five crew members.

As it attempted to take off, the aircraft failed to lift off the ground. Travelling at 296 kilometres per hour, it broke through Avenida Costanera (Rafael Obligado), dragged a car and struck a gas-regulating station.

Fuel spilled and caught fire, while a gas leak from the facility triggered a major blaze that destroyed the entire aircraft.

The disaster killed 65 people and injured 17. Some passengers escaped after a cabin crew member opened the rear-left door, while others made their way out through a tear in the right side of the fuselage before the fire grew.

Following the disaster, reputational damage and financial difficulties led LAPA to go bankrupt and cease operations in 2003.

Cause of the accident

An investigation by the Junta de Investigaciones de Accidentes de Aviación Civil (JIAAC) concluded that the pilot, Gustavo Weigel, and co-pilot, Luis Etcheverry, had forgotten to extend the flaps, which help generate lift.

The pilot ignored an alarm that sounded for 52 seconds to warn that the flaps were incorrectly positioned, and continued accelerating beyond the V1 decision speed.

In 2005, several LAPA executives and Air Force officials were brought to trial. In 2010, two LAPA executives were given suspended three-year prison sentences. However, the verdict was overturned by the Federal Court of Cassation in 2014 after the case was declared time-barred.