Boeing 737 crashes after takeoff in Cuba

Developing story, few details at this point.

Will update as more becomes available.

Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, Friday, initial reports said. It was unclear how many, if any, people were on board the jet. A 737 can seat anywhere from 126 people to 178 people, according to Boeing. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

www.newsweek.com...

ETA:

BREAKING Plane 'carrying 107 passengers' crashes moments after taking off from airport in Havana, Cuba

A Boeing 737 plane carrying 107 passengers has crashed moments after taking off from the airport in Havana, Cuba, according to reports.

The passenger jet went down and exploded into flames near Jose Marti International Airport at about 12.30pm local time.


Photos posted online by witnesses at the airport show a plume of black smoke rising into the sky.

Firefighters were on scene attempting to extinguish the blaze.

The plane was reportedly carrying 107 passengers plus crew on a domestic flight to Holguin.

It crashed near a high school in the Boyeros neighborhood near the airport.

Officials have not said whether anyone was injured or killed.

www.mirror.co.uk...

a reply to: NorthernLites

Well this is interesting. All sources say it was a Cubana de Aviacion 737, but I can't find where they operate the 737, or have ever operated it.

ETA: It looks like they have a few 737-200s. That means they're older aircraft.

Well sadly not much hope if it exploded in air ? Will link the bbc page they usually update as the story comes out.
They quote a Boeing 737 from Cuba's state airline Cubana de Aviacion .

www.bbc.co.uk...

Current; The link will be updated..

A Boeing 737 airliner from Cuba's state airline Cubana de Aviacion has crashed and exploded near Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuban media report. The plane came down shortly after take-off, Prensa Latina news agency said. State TV said it was an internal flight from the Cuban capital to Holguin, in the east of the island. The plane was carrying 104 passengers, local reports say. No information about casualties has yet been confirmed. Witnesses told AFP news agency they could see a thick column of smoke near the crash site. Fire crews and ambulances are at the scene. Radio Habana Cuba said on Twitter that the plane came down on the "highway" between Boyeros and Havana, near the airport. Cuba's president Miguel Diaz-Canel, who was sworn in last month, is said to be en route to the scene, AFP reports.

a reply to: skywatcher44

It didn't explode in the air, it exploded on impact.

twitter.com...

unconfirmed but apparently not crashed but on fire on the tarmac

a reply to: mightmight

If that's the plane, it's not a 737. Every other source is using the word "crashed", including state media. They're saying that it is in a farmer's field.

Due to maintenance issues with their fleet, the aircraft in question was leased by Cubana.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: mightmight

If that's the plane, it's not a 737. Every other source is using the word "crashed", including state media. They're saying that it is in a farmer's field.

yeah i'm not too sure about the picture either, tail paint scheme might be wrong
we'll see

edit pbs.twimg.com...:large
looks like it indeed crashed unfortunately

BBC reporting it with 104 human on board. Bless them. Flew on a Cubans internal flight decades ago it a Yak 42 or 52 or something, scariest thing ever and not quite what a westerner expects. They must be strapped for cash Cubana

a reply to: Zaphod58

Have added a ? As the full story is not out as yet.
I note it is in a field ? and not the runway.
Let's hope some have escaped please..

The flight was operating as CU972. It's believed that the aircraft was leased from Blue Panorama, an Italian company. It looks like they have one 737-30p, one 737-400, and four each 737-800 and 767-300ER

ETA: If it was the Blue Panorama aircraft, it was a 737-400.

It's also being reported that it may be a lease from a Mexican airline.

It was a lease from Global Air, a Mexican based airline. That means it's probably a 737-200. They have three of them listed as stored, and one listed as leased out, and one 737-500 listed as operational.

XA-UHZ, a 737-201 is listed as being leased to Cubana.

From the crash site:



Global Air 737:

There were 113 on board. There were 104 passengers, and 9 foreign crew. Three are reported to have survived so far, but are critical.

Looked like an old Lockheed Constellation from the late 50's in one photo.
They use file footage in so many of these news stories.

Those were used before being replaced by the UK turboprop Bristol Britannia aircraft in 1958.

Lockheed was not happy..

It was a 737-500, registration XA-UZK. I'll post more details later.

Heck I'm on one of those tomorrow.
I hope they find more survivers.
Rip to those who died.

So there was some confusion over the aircraft identity. Global has confirmed that it was actually XA-UHZ, a 737-200. They are currently operating I-BPAC, which belongs to Blue Panorama, XA-UHZ, the accident aircraft, XA-UMQ, another 737-200, and XA-UZK, a 737-500 that just started operations with them in the last couple of days.

XA-UHZ was first built in 1979, and was delivered new to Piedmont.

thanks for all the legwork, Zaph, baby

owe ya for that

originally posted by: Zaphod58
There were 113 on board. There were 104 passengers, and 9 foreign crew. Three are reported to have survived so far, but are critical.

Cuba has a truly top notch healthcare system so there may yet be hope:

The 737 in question was built in 1991 and flew as China Southern who leased it from GE CAS and looks like it spent a ton of time in Central/South America.

Its old, but its unclear how many cycles it had or its last C or D check

a reply to: FredT

Actually, it's older than that. It was actually a -200, built in 1979. The initial identification was wrong.