Santa Barbara Airlines ATR-42 Crashes In Venezuela

摘要

A Santa Barbara Airlines ATR-42-300 turboprop carrying 43 passengers and three crewmembers crashed in Venezuela Thursday evening, killing all aboard. The flight was bound for Caracas, Venezuela, from Merida. All radar contact was lost 15 minutes after takeoff, and at the time, weather conditions were foggy and rainy over the mountains of western Venezuela. Villagers reported seeing the aircraft go down and hearing an explosion, but it was not until this morning that a helicopter flying over the Andes was able to spot the wreckage. Rescue teams reached the site and found no survivors and the aircraft "completely destroyed," according to press reports.