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It is 29 of August 2018 one more anniversary of the unfortunate and fateful accident of the Cubana de Aviación in Quito. Photo de Joachim Bongers.
After 20 years of this accident, the airline maintains until today, a presence in Ecuador with cargo flights.
with your affiliate Cuban Cargo, the airline operates until 2 daily flights to Quito airport, although not always with own planes. Depending on the availability of the airline's fleet, these flights are usually operated by Boeing aircraft 727 from Colombian airline LAS.
Year 2017, the airline began the process of restarting regular passenger flights from Havana to Quito, but the company did not complete the process and the flights did not start.
They were exactly 13:03 that Saturday and the Cubana plane could not get off the runway. What happened, next:
Cubana CUB-389 flight accident in Quito
I distinctly remember that I was hardly a child. 11 years when this unfortunate accident happened at the northern head of the Old Mariscal Sucre de Quito. That day I have a clear memory that I saw from the window of the room where we lived with my family, at that time it faced the Airport and had an excellent view of the platform, runway and taxiway, I sure saw the Cubana plane, but so young I don't exactly remember many details and I didn't know about airlines and colors.
I invite you to watch an incredible video of the time about the result of the investigation:
We lived alone 3 minutes from the airport (Can you imagine where my love for aviation is born?) and just that Saturday with my family we decided to go out to eat at the traditional and Creole McDonalds around 12:45 noon.
Subsequently, I remember that as we began to eat, the atmosphere changed, they called my dad urgently, journalist at the time for the ANSA agency, so he told us what had happened and had to run to his office to inform the world what was happening in Quito, where once again a plane ran off the runway at the north end of the Airport.
What happened next and the unfortunate thing about that day, everyone knows them, but here the chronology of what happened, thanks to Aviation-Safety for detailed information:
The flight 389 of Cubana was preparing for his return to Havana with a planned stop in Guayaquil. During the first start of the engine, a pneumatic valve was blocked.
The problem was rectified "with a hammer" as it became known later., and two engines were started with auxiliary power on the ground. The third started when the Tupolev headed for the runway.
After obtaining takeoff clearance, the throttles advanced and the plane accelerated down the runway 35 (on the north). When the plane reached the rotational speed Vr, failed to rise.
Due to the high speed of the Tu-154 at that time, he did not have time to stop and at 13:03 went off track, hit the fencing and perimeter fence of the airport, and then destroyed 2 houses and a car repair shop, to finally stop at a soccer field that is a few 180 meters north of the head 17 From the airport.
for everything that happened, the plane exploded.
It is presumed that due to problems during start-up and time, almost 38 minutes of delay, the crew forgot to select the switches for the control system hydraulic valves and did not follow the checklists to select them, leading the impediment to rise.
As a result of the accident, they died. 80 people and 14 they were injured.
| state: | Final |
| Date: | Saturday 29 August 1998 |
| Hour: | 13:03 |
| Type: | Tupolev 154M |
| Operator: | Cuban Aviation |
| Registration: | CU-T1264 |
| Serial number: | 85A-720 |
| Year of construction: | 1985 |
| Total Cell Hours: | 9256 |
| engines: | 3 Soloviev D-30KU-154-II |
| Crew: | fatalities: 14 / occupants: 14 |
| passengers: | fatalities: 56 / occupants: 77 |
| Total: | fatalities: 70 / occupants: 91 |
| casualties on land: | fatalities: 10 |
| Aircraft Damage: | annulled |
| Impact: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO) ( Ecuador) |
| Phase: | Takeoff (TOF) |
| Nature: | Scheduled International Flight |
| Departure airport: | Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO/FOLLOW), Ecuador |
| Arrival airport: | Guayaquil-Simon Bolivar Airport (GYE/SEGU), Ecuador |
| Flight number: | CU389 |
Too, for several years on the side of the runway of the Old Quito Airport, pieces were found such as the landing gear and tail of the Cubana plane, like a dark memory of what happened.
This accident has some peculiarities. First, the flight was with a stopover in Guayaquil before continuing to Havana, for the subject of height and performance of the plane, it was impossible at that time to fly direct from Quito, so weight was not a factor in the accident.
Second, the accident was totally avoidable, On several occasions, the crew was able to decide to return to the platform and make sure that the problem was resolved with the fuel and hydraulic valves., at the end, were the cause of this accident.
Final report
There is a final report, as it should be, by the Accident Investigation Board – IABA of Ecuador, but he has not made public.
Despite this, leaked over time, the causes of the accident and are those indicated in this publication.
The Cubana accident in Quito represents the second most serious in Ecuador, the 27 fatal of this aircraft model and the 19 worst accident in history.
The objective of this publication is to remember one of the black moments of Ecuadorian aviation, so that it doesn't happen again.
Always, behind an accident, there is learning for the entire industry and Ecuador has continued to improve its safety parameters to guarantee air operations in the country.
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My mother was going to get on that plane that day I remember it as if it were yesterday just before boarding I was with my aunt and decided by God's decision not to get on that plane, and better return to Santo Domingo by bus since she was going to Guayaquil we were waiting for her in Guayaquil already with the pre-boarding in hand, decided not to board and leave there, Many years have passed and I still have her by my side alive..
amazing kevin, thanks for sharing your story with us.
My friend with her two friends died and I found out on TV, his mother never recovered until her death ago 3 years they were barely 22 years
Thank you for telling us about your experience..
I was behind that plane in sequence for takeoff. you could see a fairly profuse jet coming out of the engine 3 . The incident was reported to the surface. It seemed that they were draining fuel on the taxi way..
Hi Diego, Thanks for your information. you have more data?
I was heading towards Ibarra , I was going to do a cross flight. I met Jaime Artega, now he flies for AA. We both saw that there was a wide jet of unburned fuel coming out of the engine's combustion medium.. that jet was about 10cm wide. the tupolev was taking time at the waiting point for the 35. With Jaime we commented that this was not allowed to do (drain fuel) that's what we think…and we gave notice to Surface 121.9. They only answered received. All this happened, then it was obvious to all of us who were on the flight line that day, That plane was having technical problems, since it did not turn on correctly surely what we saw, It was the ignition phase of engine number three in the header 35. were cleared to take off, and I got into position and maintained. The Tupolev began its take-off run and a minute passed when it was seen at the head 17 thick black smoke billowing into the sky , Jaime left the plane running along the active runway towards the accident site, and I return to the ICARO hangar . the airport was closed .
Incredible Diego, I imagine that living it must be incredible and to never forget it. Just reading it gave me goosebumps..
It is very pleasant to read this after many years , My name is Patricio Ferrer. The plane exactly fell on our house. We lived with my mother and my 3 brothers and some relatives unfortunately my brother's Godfather passed away that day .. ahun I remember it like it was yesterday Thank God my mother and my children survived 3 brothers God gave us another opportunity what a pity that there are no more photos or information such as videos or things like that it would be very interesting to see what happened after many years I only had 6 years ..
Hello Patricio, Thanks for sharing your experience.
Can someone tell me if a stewardess named Irina died in this accident??
And, she had 23 years, was part of the crew of that fateful flight, I'm his cousin, I barely had 16 years, but I remember as if it were today, do you have any information about her, if you know something, please do not hesitate to contact me. Greetings Ernest
did you know that person???
I met her, study with me. Irina Ramon Aguirre. extremely pretty, cheerful, helpful, full of life and energy. First record at the end of our school. loved airplanes, his father was the only driver of the IL 76 in Cuba. he liked fighter planes. She told me that she wanted to be the first Cuban woman to be a combat pilot. His stewardess mother, came from the world of airplanes since he was born. It is still incredible today to accept his disappearance.
My sister Soledad Chávez Rosero died that day in that accident, she was returning to Cuba to finish her medical studies., my little niece 9 months I also had to board that flight but thank God I do not travel at the request of my parents, it was one of the saddest days in my family and that marked our destinies, Thank God, my niece Alejandria grew up with us, she already has 21 years the approximate age when her mother died and now she has almost finished university whenever I see her it is like looking at my sister in a certain way it was an incentive to that pain that the truth is I do not wish it on anyone. I was the first to find out about the accident and with barely 15 years at that time I had to tell my parents it was very traumatizing the truth 🙁
Thank you David for sharing your experience in this space.
Hello there
Almost 21 years later the pain of that fateful event is immense, but I have always wanted to know what the causes of the accident were, when I read related articles I feel somewhat liberated. My sister was a flight attendant (Yohamna Canut) and I always thought that the causes of the accident were due to damage to the aircraft and therefore the responsibility of the Cuban authorities and not of the crew. He understood that the aircraft had made several takeoff attempts.. Thanks for the article.
Hello Yasser, Thank you very much for your comment and for sharing your experience with us.. All the best.
after almost 21 years of suffering the Cubana d Aviación accident as a passenger, I have been able to overcome the bitter memory and have traveled to Cuba together with my husband, also a survivor of said accident
Thank you Esther for sharing your experience..
Hello, always look for something like this, I am a survivor of that accident, it is something that marks you for your whole life, thanks for sharing this article, if you had photos, I would appreciate it
Buenas tardes:
At some point you received help from a crew member, after the explosion? I am a relative of one of them. Thank you and feel free to contact me if you know anything about it.
A warm and fraternal greeting to all the relatives of those who died in this tragedy, I accompany you in your pain in the face of such a tremendous loss as well as other accidents in Ecuador and the world.
I remember when I was still living in Quito this accident like that of an AECA DC-8 Freighter in 1984, very sad and painful. Fortunately, there were other incidents without victims to regret at the northern head of the old airport such as the Avianca B707, Brazilian B727, Fokkers de TAME e Icaro, un ERJ-190 TAME, a Copa B738 but perhaps the luckiest is the Iberia Airbus A340-600 due to its immense size that there were no victims to mourn…
Today Tababela is much safer, at least away from populated areas and a runway that gives more room to maneuver in case of failed takeoffs or landings.
Hello there, I am the daughter of Captain Leonardo Diaz who died in that accident, He had flown Havana - Quito and had to fly again piloting from Guayaquil - Havana but unfortunately he could not, it still hurts, thanks for remembering that day.
A big hug Tairy.
Greetings. Interesting to read each of your posts., which, to aviation lovers it takes us mentally to places of the event. A query, has information about the accident 737 de Tame, happened in Cuenca? And from Saeta's planes, supposedly missing? Thanks
It is known what happened, but there is no public report.
Nicolas, a pleasure to read your articles and to know that there are people who are interested in things like these, For me it is very pleasant to read because I, like you, was observing this accident sitting on the FAE soccer field with another colleague and just like you, I knew the place where the aircraft reached V1 and when I saw that this did not happen I told him I knew my friend and indeed the plane flew by, I only saw a tremendous cloud of dust and I did not go to the accident site because just three months ago, in April of the same year, I was part of an investigation team for the accident of the 727 of TAME in Bogota where they died 57 people and I had a thankless task in that accident, was still impacted. many greetings Nicholas
Thank you for your input Osvaldo.!