Airline crash in Honduras
A man is carried from the inside of the Grupo Taca plane after it overshot a runway and slammed into a busy roadway in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa today. Two people, including a pilot, died. At least another 18 were injured. (Jose Osorio / Associated Press)
Hondurans help carry out passengers during the rescue operation after the airplane crash at aging Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa today. Passenger Harry Brautigam, president of the Tegucigalpa-based Central American Bank for Economic Integration since 2003, died of heart problems shortly after the crash. The plane’s pilot also died. (Gustavo Amador / EPA)
Hondurans and firefighters help during the rescue operation after the plane crash. The Airbus 320 left San Salvador at 8:30 a.m. local time carrying 124 passengers, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica. It was scheduled to stop briefly in Tegucigalpa and in San Pedro Sula before heading to Miami. (Gustavo Amador / EPA)
It was unclear what caused the Grupo Taca airplane crash, but weather may have been a factor. The runway at Toncontin International Airport was wet with rain from Tropical Storm Alma. (Orlando Sierra / AFP/Getty Images)
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The Grupo Taca airplane careened into a roadway after skidding off the runway. Officials have been struggling for years to replace the Tegucigalpa airport, whose short runway, primitive navigation equipment and neighboring hills make it one of the world’s more dangerous international airports. (Orlando Sierra / AFP/Getty Images)
Hondurans and firefighters help during the rescue operation. The nose of the Grupo Taca plane smashed into a retaining wall and its fuselage buckled and broke in places, trapping the pilot and co-pilot inside. Rescuers had to pry open part of the wreckage to get them out, but the pilot didn’t survive. (Gustavo Amador / EPA)
Firefighters hosed down at least two cars trapped under the plane’s left engine. More than 2,000 gallons of fuel spilled out of the jet, and authorities tried to clear away hundreds of onlookers. “The airplane’s fuel could cause an explosion, and that would be an even bigger tragedy,” Security Ministry spokesman Ivan Mejia said. (Gustavo Amador / EPA)
Firefighters carry out the body of the Grupo Taca airplane pilot. A passenger, Harry Brautigam, the head of a regional development bank, also died. (Orlando Sierra / AFP/Getty Images)
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Honduran Red Cross members and firefighters carry out the injured co-pilot. At least 17 others were also injued. The plane’s pilot and a passenger died. (Orlando Sierra / AFP/Getty Images)
