LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213

LATAM Airlines Perú
Industry	Airline
Headquarters	Lima, Peru
Products	Air transport services

LATAM Airlines Perú Flight 2213 was a domestic service within Peru, operating between Lima and Juliaca. On 18 November 2022, during its takeoff roll at Jorge Chávez International Airport, the Airbus A320neo collided with a fire truck that was crossing the runway. This incident led to the immediate deaths of two firefighters and a third firefighter who succumbed to injuries seven months later. Among the passengers and crew onboard, forty sustained injuries, four of which were severe. The aircraft suffered extensive damage and was ultimately declared a total loss, marking the inaugural hull loss within the A320neo series.

Accident

Flight 2213 of LATAM Airlines Perú was planned to depart from Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima at 14:55 PET (19:55 UTC) and land at Inca Manco Cápac International Airport in Juliaca by 16:30 PET (21:30 UTC). Weather conditions at the time included a southerly wind at 10 knots, visibility exceeding 10 kilometers, and a broken cloud layer situated at 2,100 feet.

The takeoff commenced on runway 16 at 15:11 local time. During the acceleration phase, several airport crash tenders and fire trucks participating in a scheduled emergency exercise crossed the runway ahead of the aircraft. The flight crew attempted to abort the takeoff to prevent a collision; however, the aircraft still struck one of the fire trucks, which had also maneuvered to avoid impact. Footage shared on social media captured the separation of the right engine and collapse of the right landing gear upon collision, followed by the aircraft tipping onto its right side while moving along the runway engulfed in flames. The plane halted approximately 2,500 meters down the runway. Images showed a severely damaged fire truck and extensive fire damage concentrated on the rear section of the fuselage.

Aircraft

The involved aircraft was an Airbus A320-271N, five years old with serial number 7864, bearing registration CC-BHB. It had been delivered to LATAM Chile in November 2017 and was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines. Due to the extent of damage sustained, the aircraft was written off, constituting the first complete loss recorded for an A320neo model.

Crew

The captain, aged 35, possessed a total flight experience of 8,229 hours, including 3,115 hours flying Airbus A320 family aircraft. The first officer, aged 30, had accumulated 3,390 flight hours overall, with 583 hours on Airbus A320 family planes.

Aftermath

Operations at Lima Airport were suspended by Lima Airport Partners until 20 November following the crash. Both pilots were detained for a period of 24 hours after the event. This action drew criticism from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA), which condemned the Peruvian authorities for breaching International Civil Aviation Organization protocols. IFALPA emphasized that such detention undermines flight safety and risks fostering a false public impression that attributes blame to intentional acts rather than technical faults or multiple errors.

Air traffic control had authorized Flight 2213 for takeoff clearance. At approximately 15:10 local time, Lima’s Airport Authority coordinated an emergency drill alongside Air Traffic Control; however, confusion arose when rescue personnel mistakenly believed their clearance permitted crossing an active runway—a clearance that had not been granted.

Manuel Villanueva, a firefighter and sole survivor among his crew from the fire engine involved in the collision, passed away on 17 June 2023 due to injuries sustained in this accident, becoming its third fatality.

Investigation

The Commission for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents (CIAA) led the inquiry into the incident, receiving assistance from France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA). Although there were initial plans to transport the flight recorders to France for examination, they were ultimately analyzed by Brazil's Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA).

On October 2, 2023, the CIAA published its conclusive report, attributing the crash to unauthorized emergency vehicles accessing the runway. The emergency exercise was inadequately organized by the Peruvian Corporation of Commercial Airports and Aviation (CORPAC), with poor coordination and a delayed alert to air traffic controllers—approximately only one hour prior to the drill—hindering their ability to prepare. Furthermore, communication between air traffic control and emergency teams utilized irregular terminology. The investigation also uncovered other contributing elements.

External links