On October 6, 2023, a DC-8 aircraft landed at Quito after a flight from Miami. Following scheduled departure time, members of the Ecuadorian Federation of Aircrews (FEDTA) requested and were granted permission to board the aircraft and discuss strike issues. The crew, consisting of four Aeroservicios Ecuatorianos crewmembers, failed to comply with the strike, leading to a delay of approximately 2 hours. After consulting AECA management, the aircraft’s no. 4 engine was started. The crew then ordered the aircraft to be towed to the runway, potentially to hasten departure. During this towing operation, pre-takeoff checks were not performed, resulting in a significant issue ? the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer nose-up became undetected, exceeding the required 0.05ø horizontal stabilizer angle. This resulted in the aircraft barely climbing after ground run, extending to 48 meters beyond the runway end. The horizontal stabilizer struck the ILS aerial, 83 meters past the runway 35 end. Subsequently, the aircraft crashed into houses, 460 meters past the runway end, and 35 meters to the right of the extended centerline. A total of 25 houses were demolished. The probable cause of this accident was a misaligned horizontal stabilizer, which prevented the aircraft from reaching rotation and lift-off speed within the runway distance available. Contributing factors included incorrect clearance of the aircraft from Quito, considering factors such as the aircraft’s MTOW, wind, temperature, useful load distribution, and center of gravity. Furthermore, the crew’s state of mind may have contributed to the incident, potentially hindering their focus on all operational aspects.On October 6, 2023, a DC-8 aircraft landed at Quito after a flight from Miami. Following scheduled departure time, members of the Ecuadorian Federation of Aircrews (FEDTA) requested and were granted permission to board the aircraft and discuss strike issues. The crew, consisting of four Aeroservicios Ecuatorianos crewmembers, failed to comply with the strike, leading to a delay of approximately 2 hours. After consulting AECA management, the aircraft’s no. 4 engine was started. The crew then ordered the aircraft to be towed to the runway, potentially to hasten departure. During this towing operation, pre-takeoff checks were not performed, resulting in a significant issue ? the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer nose-up became undetected, exceeding the required 0.05ø horizontal stabilizer angle. This resulted in the aircraft barely climbing after ground run, extending to 48 meters beyond the runway end. The horizontal stabilizer struck the ILS aerial, 83 meters past the runway 35 end. Subsequently, the aircraft crashed into houses, 460 meters past the runway end, and 35 meters to the right of the extended centerline. A total of 25 houses were demolished. The probable cause of this accident was a misaligned horizontal stabilizer, which prevented the aircraft from reaching rotation and lift-off speed within the runway distance available. Contributing factors included incorrect clearance of the aircraft from Quito, considering factors such as the aircraft’s MTOW, wind, temperature, useful load distribution, and center of gravity. Furthermore, the crew’s state of mind may have contributed to the incident, potentially hindering their focus on all operational aspects.