The deadliest aviation disaster in Venezuela and the deadliest air crash of 2005, killing all 160 aboard due to an unrecovered aerodynamic stall.
Key Facts
- Deaths
- 160 (all aboard)
- Aircraft type
- McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- HK-4374X
- Cruising altitude at stall
- 33,000 ft
- Route
- Panama City (PTY) to Fort-de-France, Martinique
- Date of crash
- 16 August 2005
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
While cruising at 33,000 ft, the aircraft's airspeed gradually decreased until it entered an aerodynamic stall. The crew apparently believed the aircraft had suffered a double engine flameout rather than a stall, leading them to omit the corrective actions needed to recover from the loss of lift.
In the early hours of 16 August 2005, West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a charter MD-82 flying from Panama City to Martinique, crashed in northwest Venezuela. Confusion in the cockpit over the nature of the emergency prevented any successful stall recovery, and the aircraft struck the ground, killing all 160 passengers and crew.
The accident became the deadliest aviation disaster of 2005 and the deadliest ever recorded in Venezuela. It also ranked as the second deadliest hull loss involving the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series, prompting scrutiny of crew training, aerodynamic stall recognition procedures, and charter airline oversight in the region.