160 dead after Jetliner crashes in Venezuela

[Brent]

It was headed from Panama to the island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles.

Airliner crashes in western Venezuela
More than 150 people aboard MD-80
Tuesday, August 16, 2005; Posted: 9:52 a.m. EDT (13:52 GMT)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- A Colombian plane carrying more than 150 people crashed Tuesday in a remote area of Venezuela, aviation officials said.

No one is believed to have survived.

The exact number of people on board is not clear -- various officials have said there were 151 or 152 people on board, and others have added that there were five or six crew members.

The West Caribbean Airways flight left Panama around 1 a.m. local time, headed for Fort de France on the Caribbean island of Martinique, according to Panamanian aviation officials.

Venezuelan officials said the MD-80's pilots reported engine problems shortly before contact was lost with the aircraft around 3 a.m. ET.

Tomas Paredes with Panama's aviation agency told CNN in a phone interview the pilots had asked to descend from their current 31,000 feet to 14,000 feet because both engines were having problems.

That was the last communication from the aircraft, Paredes said.

Some residents in Venezuela's Zulia state reported hearing a loud explosion early in the morning, near the city of Machiques and Lake Maracaibo, local law enforcement officials said. The crash site is not far from the border with Colombia.

Search and rescue crews are at the site of the crash, and Venezuelan military troops have set up a field hospital in case anyone is found alive.

Reporter Jeidis Osechas of the Venezuelan television network Globovision told CNN from the scene of the crash there was still smoke coming from the heavily forested region, and the wreckage appeared to be strewn over a large area.

Venezuela's interior minister told The Associated Press that based on reports from military aircraft flying over the area, "it's very unlikely there could be survivors."

Most of the passengers were from Martinique, according to civil aeronautics officials in Colombia, and the crew was Colombian.

The flight had been chartered by tourists in Martinique, a French possession in the Caribbean.

[ohiostorm]

Good lord. What is going on with the planes??

[wxmann_91]

These (this plane crash and the one a few days ago) are the reasons I have a fear of flying.

[Rainband]

It's the safest way to travel. Do the math, how many car accident fatalities are there daily in the United States and worldwide.??

[Brent]

160 believed dead in Venezuela jet crash
Pilot had reported engine trouble aboard MD-82

Tuesday, August 16, 2005; Posted: 2:27 p.m. EDT (18:27 GMT)

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- A Colombian airliner carrying 160 people crashed Tuesday in a remote area of western Venezuela, aviation officials said.

No survivors have been found.

A spokeswoman for West Caribbean Airways, based in Medellin, Colombia, told CNN there were 152 passengers and eight crew members on board, making it the deadliest plane crash in Venezuela's history.

The MD-82 aircraft left Tocumen International Airport south of Panama City around 1 a.m. local time, headed for Fort de France, Martinique, according to Panamanian aviation officials.

Most of the passengers were from Martinique, according to civil aeronautics officials in Colombia, and the crew was Colombian.

The flight had been chartered by tourists in Martinique, a French possession in the Caribbean.

Venezuelan officials said the jetliner's pilots reported engine problems shortly before contact was lost with the aircraft around 3 a.m. ET.

Tomas Paredes with Panama's aviation agency told CNN in a phone interview the pilots had asked to descend from 31,000 feet to 14,000 feet because both engines were having problems.

That was the last communication from the aircraft, Paredes said.

Explosion reported

Some residents in Venezuela's Zulia state reported hearing a loud explosion early in the morning, near the city of Machiques and Lake Maracaibo, local law enforcement officials said. The crash site is not far from the border with Colombia.

Search and rescue crews are removing bodies from the site of the crash, officials said, and will move them to a morgue.

Local officials said there are no survivors.

At least 150 workers are at the crash site -- including national guard members and firefighters -- according to the Venezuelan aviation authority.

Reporter Jeidis Osechas of the Venezuelan television network Globovision told CNN from the scene of the crash there was still smoke coming from the heavily forested region, and the wreckage appeared to be strewn over a large area.

French President Jacques Chirac released a statement expressing his sorrow about the accident that claimed the lives of several French citizens.

"The president expresses, on behalf of all French citizens, his saddest condolences and his deep compassion for the families and friends of the victims," the statement said.

Chirac said he was sending his overseas territories minister to Martinique immediately, and the French Foreign Ministry has set up a crisis office to deal with the accident.

A smaller aircraft owned by West Caribbean Airways crashed as it took off in Colombia in March, killing eight people and injuring eight others.

[Brent]

It's the safest way to travel. Do the math, how many car accident fatalities are there daily in the United States and worldwide.??

Can't even keep up with them all... you probably stand a better chance of being killed in a car accident 10 times than you do being killed in a plane crash.

[wxmann_91]

Yeah, but if you had a car crash and a plane crash you'll have a much better chance of dying in the plane crash.

Anyway, I'll probably get over the fear in a few years. I'm getting embarrased here. So I'll shut up for now.

[Lindaloo]

Yeah, but if you had a car crash and a plane crash you'll have a much better chance of dying in the plane crash.

Anyway, I'll probably get over the fear in a few years. I'm getting embarrased here. So I'll shut up for now.

Don't be embarrassed. I am another one who does not fly. They can scream all they want about more dying in car accidents versus planes. Fact of the matter is (my point of view) is in a car accident you are not falling from the sky.

[ohiostorm]

Yeah, but if you had a car crash and a plane crash you'll have a much better chance of dying in the plane crash.

Anyway, I'll probably get over the fear in a few years. I'm getting embarrased here. So I'll shut up for now.

Don't be embarrassed. I am another one who does not fly. They can scream all they want about more dying in car accidents versus planes. Fact of the matter is (my point of view) is in a car accident you are not falling from the sky.

Yeah and with car crashes they mostly happen suddenly and you dont have time to react. Plane crashes you might still be alive sometime before you hit. I have a fear of flying too. I am flying in 3 weeks from Pittsburgh to LAX. Everyone tells me you have a better chance of dying on the way to the airport. But I just look at it like this.. I've sat and watched the planes takeoff and land from PIT and its unbelievable how many you see within an hour or so. Imagine that in a year with no crashes. Thats a large number and thats not even the busiest airports.

[Brent]

Yeah, but if you had a car crash and a plane crash you'll have a much better chance of dying in the plane crash.

Anyway, I'll probably get over the fear in a few years. I'm getting embarrased here. So I'll shut up for now.

Don't be embarrassed. I am another one who does not fly. They can scream all they want about more dying in car accidents versus planes. Fact of the matter is (my point of view) is in a car accident you are not falling from the sky.

That is a good point, but it's still far safer and it ALWAYS will be. Given the choice to drive all day or fly and be there in 3 hours... I'll fly everytime.

No mode of transportation is ever completely safe... Planes, Cars, Trains, Buses, they are all made by humans, but it's part of life. If your meant to die in a plane crash, then it's going to happen.

[Dr. Jonah Rainwater]

Venezuela and Greece have pretty sub-standard infrastructure and safety systems. Look at the plane crash in Toronto. The first major jetliner crash in North America in FOUR YEARS - and EVERYONE SURVIVED. Of course flying in the third world is more risky than flying here.

If you're smart about who you fly with, flying is not only the safest way to travel, but practically riskless.

[Brent]

Venezuela and Greece have pretty sub-standard infrastructure and safety systems. Look at the plane crash in Toronto. The first major jetliner crash in North America in FOUR YEARS - and EVERYONE SURVIVED. Of course flying in the third world is more risky than flying here.

If you're smart about who you fly with, flying is not only the safest way to travel, but practically riskless.

Yep... the last fatal passenger jet crash in the U.S. was November 12, 2001!!! I had never heard of either of the airlines involved in the last 2 crashes this week. That makes a major difference.

Amazing when you consider the string of crashes in the 90's... TWA, Swissair, Egyptair, Valujet. All four of those however are either International Airlines or are no longer(TWA and Valujet).

[nystate]

You are more likely to be killed walking behind a donkey in Mexico than you are to be killed on an airliner...

[Brent]

Getting back on topic...

This aircraft has had a history of problems. Something huge fell off of it but was repaired just before the crash(I can't remember what they said now, but it was vital to the plane), and it had just passed inspection on Monday, so that may have had something to do with it.

[Gorky]

The last fatal jumbo jet crash in the US was November 12th 2001 in New York, however, there have been several smaller passenger jets go down since then. Also, I wouldn't say Greece is a poor country, they have a pretty decent infrastructure, as shown by how they ran the Olympics. The Caribbean is reasonably well off with the exception of Hispaniola. The main link I see is that both the fatal crashes were budget airlines, and suffered mechanical failures by the looks of it. Maybe they cut costs with maintenance. The Air France crash was plain bad luck that it crashed due to the weather, and good luck that everyone survived. I don't think the fact that it was an Air France plane made much difference really...

[nystate]

, however, there have been several smaller passenger jets go down since then.

Actually, only one passenger jet, and it had only two pilots and no passengers on board as it was a ferry flight. The other two were props I believe.