Investigators are searching for evidence in the crash of a TAESA McDonnell Douglas DC-9 on 9 November. The crash happened shortly after the aircraft left Uruapan airport in central Mexico.
All 18 people on board, including five crew, were killed when the DC-9-31 (XA-TKN), operating TAESA flight 725, nose-dived into an avocado grove, 12km from the airport.
The aircraft is understood to have crashed shortly before 19:00 local time, 5min after take-off. Mexican aviation authorities say the pilots declared an emergency, but did not specify any irregularity. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered.
The flight originated in Tijuana with 91 passengers, and was destined for Mexico City, with intermediate stops in Guadalajara and Uruapan.
The 29-year-old DC-9 was one of six in the airline's fleet, joining TAESA in June last year on lease from Pegasus Capital. The aircraft had logged 59,000 flights and 58,000h, and is believed to have been operated as a freighter by NASA after undergoing cargo conversion in 1994.
The 11-year-old, Mexico City-based private airline is the county's third largest carrier.
Source: Flight International
