Cessna 208B Grand Caravan – YV1181

Incident Overview

Date: Friday 17 April 2009

Aircraft Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

Owner/operator: L¡nea Tur¡stica Aereotuy (LTA)

Registration Number: YV1181

Location: Canaima Airport (CAJ) – ÿ Venezuela

Phase of Flight: Take off

Status: Destroyed, written off

Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 12

Component Affected: AircraftAircraft

Investigating Agency: JIAAC VenezuelaJIAAC Venezuela

Category: Accident

On October 26, 2023, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration YV1181, crashed during takeoff at Canaima Airport (CAJ), Venezuela, resulting in the death of one passenger and seven injured passengers. The aircraft carried ten tourists on a flight to Ciudad Bol¡var. The takeoff occurred on the last third of the runway, and the plane collided with a powerline, 80 meters past the end of runway 36. Severe weather conditions, including poor cumulo nimbus clouds to the north of the airfield, and puddles of water on the runway, contributed to the accident. The pilot was instructed to use only the last third of the runway, a decision that was poorly executed due to the combination of adverse weather and the runway’s water puddles. The incident was attributed to a combination of factors including inadequate weather monitoring, poor drainage of the runway, and a lack of safety oversight by the aerodrome administration. The investigation by JIAAC revealed several contributing factors, ultimately pointing to human error in the pilot’s decision-making process during takeoff. The primary cause of the accident was identified as human error, specifically the pilot’s mismanagement of the flight, exacerbated by the unfavorable weather conditions and runway conditions.On October 26, 2023, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration YV1181, crashed during takeoff at Canaima Airport (CAJ), Venezuela, resulting in the death of one passenger and seven injured passengers. The aircraft carried ten tourists on a flight to Ciudad Bol¡var. The takeoff occurred on the last third of the runway, and the plane collided with a powerline, 80 meters past the end of runway 36. Severe weather conditions, including poor cumulo nimbus clouds to the north of the airfield, and puddles of water on the runway, contributed to the accident. The pilot was instructed to use only the last third of the runway, a decision that was poorly executed due to the combination of adverse weather and the runway’s water puddles. The incident was attributed to a combination of factors including inadequate weather monitoring, poor drainage of the runway, and a lack of safety oversight by the aerodrome administration. The investigation by JIAAC revealed several contributing factors, ultimately pointing to human error in the pilot’s decision-making process during takeoff. The primary cause of the accident was identified as human error, specifically the pilot’s mismanagement of the flight, exacerbated by the unfavorable weather conditions and runway conditions.

Description

A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registered YV1181 and operated by Aerotuy, sustained substantial damage in a takeoff accident at Canaima Airport (CAJ), Venezuela. One 6 year old boy died, and seven others were badly injured. The Aereotuy plane carried ten tourists on a flight to Ciudad Bol¡var. During takeoff the airplane could not gain altitude, continued off the departure end, and collided with a powerline, 80 meters past the end of runway 36. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were poor due to cumulo nimbus clouds to the north of the airfield. There were puddles of water on the runway as a result of rainfall. Runway 36 is a 2100 m long asphalt runway. The airplane lined up for takeoff on the last third of the runway. Cause (translated from Spanish) The accident occurred as a result of the inability of the aircraft to take off, affected by the tailwind and water puddles that covered part of the runway, which did not allow speed to build up, crashing into the ground. It is considered that the most likely cause of the accident was mismanagement by the crew, in the sense of failing to make adequate planning and analysis, coupled with overconfidence and lack of identification of hazardous conditions at that time of takeoff. Based on our [JIAAC] investigations, we can infer that there were several contributing causes for the occurrence of this accident. In this order, we can state the following: – Adverse weather and tailwind conditions associated with the phenomenon. – Incorrect management by the crew to use only the last third of the runway with the meteorological conditions prevailing at that time. – Failure of the aerodrome administration to identify and correct poor drainage of the runway. – Failure of the Autoridad Aeron utica to monitor safety. – Rejection by the crew of the concatenated form in which the factors involved in this event developed. After all the analysis to different causes involved in this accident, we can point to as the main Causal Factor: Human Factor, due to the mismanagement by the flight crew upon takeoff in these conditions. Physical and Material factors included everything related to the prevailing weather conditions, road conditions and lack of services at the aerodrome by the authorities; all of them are considered Contributing Factors.

Primary Cause

Human Factor, due to the mismanagement by the flight crew upon takeoff in these conditions.Human Factor, due to the mismanagement by the flight crew upon takeoff in these conditions.

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