Aeroperú Flight 603
Aeroperú Flight 603 (PL603/PLI603) was a scheduled passenger flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, to Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, with stopovers in Quito, Ecuador, and Lima, Peru. On October 2, 1996, the Boeing 757-23A aircraft flying the final leg of the flight crashed, killing all 70 people aboard.
N52AW, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 October 1996 |
| Summary | Instrument failure due to static port obstruction caused by maintenance error leading to controlled flight into water |
| Site | Pacific Ocean, 89 km (55 mi) northwest off Lima, Peru 11°49′S 77°51′W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 757-23A |
| Operator | Aeroperú |
| IATA flight No. | PL603 |
| ICAO flight No. | PLI603 |
| Call sign | AEROPERU 603 |
| Registration | N52AW |
| Flight origin | Miami International Airport Miami, Florida, United States |
| 1st stopover | Mariscal Sucre International Airport (former) Quito, Ecuador |
| Last stopover | Jorge Chavez International Airport Lima, Peru |
| Destination | Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport Santiago, Chile |
| Occupants | 70 |
| Passengers | 61 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 70 |
| Survivors | 0
|
| Accused | Eleuterio Chacaliaza, four others |
| Convicted | Eleuterio Chacaliaza |
| Charges | Negligent homicide |
| Verdict |
|
| Sentence | Chacaliaza: 2-year suspended sentence |
Flying over water, at night, with no visual references, the pilots were unaware of their true altitude, and struggled to control and navigate the aircraft. The investigation determined that the air data computers were unable to show correct airspeed and altitude on cockpit displays because a maintenance worker had failed to remove tape covering the pitot-static system ports on the aircraft exterior.