At least 68 people on board a Cubana Tupolev Tu-154M, and nine on the ground, were killed on 29 August when the crew appears to have made a late take-off abort and the aircraft overran the Quito, Ecuador, runway onto a football field. The civil aviation authorities have said that there may be more casualties among the burned-out wreckage of the 13-year-old aircraft (CU-T1264).
Witnesses report that the take-off attempt was the second or third, which would indicate that the crew was unsatisfied with the acceleration. The thrust reverser clamshells were found to be deployed.
Quito's airfield elevation is 9,000ft (2,750m) and the midday temperature was high, both factors which would have reduced engine performance. With a passenger load of 76 and a crew of 14, however, the aircraft should not have been too heavy for a successful take-off, unless there was a particularly heavy freight load.
nA Myanma Airways Fokker F27 was found on 28 August, having been missing for four days. It was well off course, some 50km (27nm) north of its Tachilek, Myanmar, destination. The twin turboprop aircraft appears to have crashed into high ground in bad weather. All 40 passengers and two crew have been confirmed dead.
Source: Flight International
