A LATAM Airbus A320neo suffered a serious accident this Friday, during the start of takeoff at Jorge Chavez Airport, in Lima, Peru. The aircraft, which was on flight LA 2213 to LATAM Peru, bound for the city of Juliaca, collided with a fire engine that entered the runway.
Due to the collision, the jet’s right engine detached itself while the right landing gear collapsed, causing the Airbus to drag for hundreds of meters until it stopped.
The right wing hit the ground and began to catch fire, with almost full fuel tanks. Other airport fire vehicles, which were in the area, moved quickly to put out the fire.
In video recordings published on social networks, it is possible to see two fire trucks moving close to the track. The first one follows the plane when it makes a sharp turn to the right before the A320neo hits it.
According to the local press, two firefighters who were on board the vehicle died. LATAM, for its part, said in a statement that there were no casualties among the 102 passengers and six crew members.
“At the moment, we can inform you that there were no deaths among the people who were on board our plane. At this moment, we are focused on supporting passengers and families. Likewise, work is being carried out in coordination with the competent authorities to support investigations into the incident as soon as possible,” the airline said.
The crashed jet is quite new, with five years in service. The A320neo registration CC-BHB was received by LATAM Chile in November 2017 through a lease with the company Avolon.
