2008 Aero Ruta Maya crash

Infobox Aircraft accident


caption =
date = 2008-08-24
type = Engine failure in midair
site = Near Zacapa, 115 kilometers east of Guatemala City
coords =
aircraft_type = Cessna 208
aircraft_name =
operator = Aero Ruta Maya
tail_number =
origin = Aurora
stopover =
destination = El Estor
passengers = 12
crew = 2
injuries = 3
fatalities = 11 (incl. pilot and copilot)
survivors = 3 passengers

On August 24, 2008, an Aero Ruta Maya Cessna Caravan 208 carrying 10 American aid workers, two Guatemalan aid agency representatives, pilot and copilot enroute from Aurora to El Estor, crashed 45 minutes after take off. The crash killed seven aid workers, two aid agency representatives, the pilot and the co pilot and injured three aid workers. The crash was the result of engine failure as was called in by the pilot and was an attempt at making an emergency landing according to Guatemalan civil aviation director Jose Carlos. The aid workers were members of CHOICE Humanitarian, a West Jordan, Utah based humanitarian group on their way to the village of Sepamac.

Crash Casualties and Survivors

Injured

*April Jensen and daughter April (19).
*Dan Liljenquist (president and chief operating officer of Focus Services of Roy, Utah a company that handles customer service calls for other companies).

Deceased

*Pilot Fernando Estrada and co-pilot Monica Bonilla.
*Guatemalan CHOICE Humanitarian representatives; Javier Rabanales and Walfred de Rabanales.
*Liz Johnson, (wife of CHOICE Humanitarian Chief Executive, Chris Johnson).
*Roger Jensen (48), maintenance manager of Smyth Companies and son, Zachary, (from Amery, Wisconsin).
*Four employees of Focus Services company, two from Utah and two from another call center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
**Cody Odekirk.
**John Carter.
**Jeff Reppe.
**Lydia Silvia.

External links

* [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jgCwvBUSh7V9Dysh9Ytx2cLOY6SAD92PJDKO1 Associated Press]
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/25/world/main4379213.shtml CBSNews.com]
* [http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/08/24/guatemala.crash/index.html CNN.com]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7580346.stm BBCNews.com]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/world/americas/25guatemala.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin NEWYorkTimes.com]