Summary of ¡Trágico Impacto en Lima! Avión se Estrella contra Vehículo de Bomberos - Vuelo 2213 de LATAM
On November 18, 2022, at Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport, LATAM Peru Flight 2213, an Airbus A320 Neo, collided with a fire truck during a tragic accident on the runway. The incident occurred amid airport expansion works and increased passenger traffic, contributing to operational complexities.
The accident was the result of a series of critical failures in coordination, communication, and planning related to an emergency response exercise scheduled for that day. Key points include:
- Lack of Clear Coordination: A meeting held two days prior discussed emergency response times but failed to assign responsibility for planning the exercise or clarify the specific route the fire vehicles would take. This led to ambiguous and unsafe assumptions.
- Ignorance and Miscommunication: Despite an email notification about the exercise, air traffic controllers on duty were unaware of it. The fire rescue supervisor responsible for coordinating with the control tower had not attended prior meetings and provided unclear information, causing confusion about the exercise’s route and timing.
- Misinterpretation of the Route: The controller misunderstood the intended route of the fire vehicles, believing they would use a taxiway rather than the vehicular route that led onto the active runway. Ambiguous terminology further complicated communication.
- Unexpected Delays and Shift Change: A delay in aircraft taxiing and a controller shift change occurred without proper handover or briefing about the ongoing exercise, perpetuating misinformation.
- Assumptions Instead of Clear Authorization: The fire rescue supervisor assumed that confirmation of the exercise equated to authorization to enter the runway, which was not explicitly granted. This misunderstanding led to the fire vehicle entering the active runway without clearance.
- Failure in Radio Communication Procedures: The fire rescue team did not follow proper radio protocols to report their exact location, missing an opportunity to alert controllers and pilots to their presence on the runway.
- Collision and Aftermath: At approximately 3:11 p.m., the LATAM flight began takeoff unaware of the fire vehicle on the runway, resulting in a collision. Two firefighters died immediately, and a third was seriously injured and later died months after. The pilots were initially charged but later acquitted as the investigation found them not responsible. The aircraft was destroyed, and airport operations were suspended for 30 hours.
The official investigation concluded that the accident was caused by a chain of failures: inadequate planning, deficient coordination, poor communication, and non-standard phraseology. The tragedy highlights the critical importance of strict adherence to aviation safety protocols and clear, unambiguous communication to prevent such disasters.
Presenters/Contributors:
- Narrator/Analyst (unnamed)
- Jimenito (sign-off contributor)
Notable Quotes
— 13:03 — « I reiterate that in Aviation you should never assume things. Always everything must be very clear, specific and detailed. »
— 15:41 — « In Aviation a confirmation is not an authorization. »
Category
News and Commentary