Flying in and out of Tegucigalpa, Honduras

the first time i landed at tegucigalpa in 1987, i was blown away at the airport's location, the approach, and the short runway... the location is carved from the top of a small hill, the approach is surrounded by higher mountains on all sides, the runway is not only short, but ends abruptly at a drop-off that lies directly above a residential area...

my seat mate was a veteran of numerous landings at the airport and, in response to my question about the airport's accident rate, informed me that it actually was among the safest airports in latin america because only the most skilled pilots would even attempt landing there...

A passenger plane skidded off a runway at Tegucigalpa Airport in Honduras on Friday on landing, veered onto a road and smashed into cars and a building, killing at least three people.

The TACA airlines Airbus, which had 142 people on board, lay broken in three parts and spewing fuel. Two people were still trapped in cars underneath the wreckage, an aviation official said.

The plane, arriving from San Salvador, circled the airport several times before attempting to land in heavy fog, survivor Mario Castillo told Honduran television.

"Suddenly we felt a big noise and we were all trying desperately to get out," he said. "The worst injured were the people in business class."

[...]

Tegucigalpa, nestled in hills, is one of the most treacherous airports for landing in Latin America due to its short runway and difficult approach.

ever since that time, i've kept my eyes and ears open for incidents at tegucigalpa and, even though i can't claim exhaustive knowledge, this is the first one i'm aware of...

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