The Aviation Herald reports on how Colombian cargo airline Aerosucre had a pretty bad takeoff accident yesterday, which can’t help but make you wonder (about a variety of things)…
In this post:
Aerosucre jet overruns Bogota Airport runway
This incident happened on Sunday, November 10, 2024, and involves a 44-year-old Aerosucre Boeing 727-200 with the registration code HK-5216. The jet was scheduled to operate flight 372, the 567-mile journey from Bogota, Colombia (BOG), to Valencia, Venezuela (VLN).
At 4:41PM local time, the aircraft departed from Bogota’s runway 14L, which is 3,800 meters (~12,500 feet). However, the plane didn’t manage to become airborne before the end of the runway, so it ended up overrunning the runway, and hitting the localizer antenna, before finally gaining altitude. What’s even wilder is that the antennas that were hit are an additional 300 meters (~1,000 feet) from the end of the runway, so it’s not just that the plane didn’t get airborne by a few meters.
The aircraft then entered a holding pattern, and ended up landing back in Bogota about an hour after its initial departure, after burning off some fuel.
The aircraft sustained damage to its landing gear and one of its wings, and of course the localizer antenna was also damaged.
Below is a video that shows the point of impact.
How could something like this happen?
To state the obvious, there are lots of procedures in place to avoid runway overruns, and that’s why takeoff performance is calculated very closely before every flight. But in this case it shouldn’t have even been close. We’re talking about an incredibly long runway (though in fairness, Bogota is at a high altitude), the plane was doing a full length takeoff, etc.
While we’ll have to wait and see what an investigation reveals, Aerosucre has a questionable safety record that already goes back decades. Over the years, the airline has been cited multiple times for flying planes above their maximum takeoff weight, and ummm, leaving certain “cargo” off the load sheet.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen the airline involved in a runway overrun, and the last one was even fatal. In 2016 we saw the crash of Aerosucre flight 157, which was also operated by a Boeing 727. The jet had a runway overrun during takeoff, whereby it struck the perimeter fence and other obstacles before becoming airborne, though the pilots lost control of the jet, causing the plane to crash.
The cause of the accident was determined to be that the plane was overweight, an incorrect takeoff technique was used, and the plane took off with a tailwind.
It’s sad that there are pilots that are apparently so desperate for jobs that they’re willing to work for an airline that clearly doesn’t value their safety.
I also don’t understand how Colombian regulators haven’t taken action to ground this airline. Aircraft pose a risk not just to those onboard, but also to those on the ground. If the airline can’t adhere to basic safety standards then it also shouldn’t be allowed to operate… no?
Bottom line
An Aerosucre Boeing 727 had an accident on takeoff from Bogota, whereby the aircraft didn’t take off before the end of the runway. Not only did the plane overrun the runway, but it hit the localizer antenna a few hundred meters from the end of the runway. It would be bad enough if this were the first time such an incident happened for the airline, but it’s not.
The silver lining here is that this wasn’t fatal. Here’s to hoping that regulators in Colombia finally take action to protect the public from this airline.
What do you make of this Aerosucre incident at Bogota Airport?
How could one have guessed that a cold fish lover would troll other commentators on this page too.
From his posts one could very easily conclude that he is a poor and feeble minded soul who has no worldly experience of anything beyond his trailer.
As for the subject article one is not surprised to read of such an incident.
I was on DL983 that departed just 3 minutes earlier. Glad we were first. There was some weather moving in as well.
I didn't realize that 727s still were in operation!
Well, the controller DID say "intercept the localizer"
It's difficult to judge from that video, but to me it looks like the slats are not engaged. So they might have forgotten to set the flaps correctly?
Can you deploy flaps without slats outside of pulling the breaker to the actuator in the 727?
It’s the Third world. What do you expect?
Colombia's not a Third World country at all, but good job on showing that you have no idea what that term actually means. ;)
this shows otherwise. But keep doing this, not our problem you can't run a basic country lol
Have planes not overrun runways in the US before?
Because First World propaganda is working.
Colombia is definitely 3rd world....
"Colombia is definitely 3rd world...."
Then you don't know the meaning of "definitely" nor "third world," as Colombia is by definition, not third world.