Mechanical failure suspected after Peru plane crash kills 11 tourists
by Macarena Hermosilla · UPIAug. 3 (UPI) -- A mechanical failure may have caused the crash of a sightseeing plane that killed 11 European tourists and two crew members in Peru's Nazca region, in one of the country's deadliest tourism-related aviation accidents in recent years.
During a visit to the crash site Sunday, Peru's minister of foreign trade and tourism, Roger Valencia, said the Aerodiana aircraft operated normally for about 50 minutes before it went down.
Those onboard included seven Italians, two Spaniards and two Germans, along with two Peruvian pilots, according to Simple Flying..
Valencia said a panel of experts is investigating the cause of the crash and that preliminary findings are expected in about one month, according to local media reports.
Valencia said the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan departed from Pisco, and that before losing radio contact with air traffic controllers, its pilot reported an in-flight mechanical emergency. He added that the airline was operating in compliance with current regulations.
The sightseeing aircraft crashed and caught fire Saturday in the Pueblo Viejo area near the Nazca Lines in southern Peru, killing all on board.
The aircraft was on a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site and one of Peru's best-known tourist attractions. It crashed into an agricultural field in Pueblo Viejo, about 4 miles from the city of Nazca and near María Reiche Airfield.
Peru's Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Aviation Accident Investigation Commission are leading the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
As part of the investigation, authorities are also reviewing weather conditions over the weekend because sightseeing flights had been suspended the previous day due to strong Paracas winds that affected the Ica region, according to local newspaper El País.
Specialists from Peru's Institute of Legal Medicine transferred the victims' remains to the central morgue in Ica, where DNA testing, dental examinations and anthropological analyses are underway to confirm the identities of the seven Italian, two Spanish and two German tourists who died in the crash.
The identification process could take two to three days because some of the victims suffered severe burns and multiple traumatic injuries, making identification more difficult, according to Infobae.
Peruvian authorities are coordinating with diplomatic representatives from the affected countries.