LAPA Flight 3142

LAPA Flight 3142 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight operated by a Boeing 737-204C registration LV-WRZ. On August 31, 1999, it caused the fourth most serious accident in the history of Argentine aviation. 65 people were killed.

LAPA Flight 3142

LV-WRZ, the aircraft involved in the accident, at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in May 1999.
Accident
Date	31 August 1999
Summary	Runway overrun due to incorrect flap configuration
Site	Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, Buenos Aires, Argentina 34°34′1″S 58°24′7″W
Total fatalities	65
Total injuries	34
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-204C
Operator	Líneas Aéreas Privadas Argentinas (LAPA)
IATA flight No.	MJ3142
ICAO flight No.	LPA3142
Call sign	LAPA 3142
Registration	LV-WRZ
Flight origin	Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Destination	Ingeniero Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport, Córdoba, Argentina
Occupants	100
Passengers	95
Crew	5
Fatalities	63
Injuries	31
Survivors	37
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	2
Ground injuries	3

Background

It was to leave from the Jorge Newbery Airport in the city of Buenos Aires at 8:36 p.m. on that day. It was bound for the Ingeniero Taravella Airport in the city of Córdoba. They were carrying 98 passengers and 5 crew members. Due to some inconveniences in engine no. 1, 4 take-off positions were lost while the mechanics checked it and finally it was located at the head of the runway.

At 8:54 p.m. (local time), during the takeoff operation, the aircraft did not take off and continued its flight beyond the limits of the airport. It crossed the "Avenida Costanera Rafael Obligado" Street. The plane dragged a car that was circulating. It finally collided with road machines, an embankment and a gas regulating plant. The loss of fuel and the gas expelled by the rupture of the plant caused a fire that killed most of the passengers who had survived the crash.

Investigation

The Argentinean Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board (JIAAC) established that the "immediate cause" of the accident was the pilot Gustavo Weigel's failure to extend the flaps to increase the aircraft's lift. In addition, the alarm that alerted about the wrong position of the flaps were ignored for 52 seconds. The pilots continued to taxi, and let the aircraft exceed V1 speed or decision speed, which once reached made it impossible to stop the takeoff.

The report found that there was serious negligence on the part of the captain Gustavo Weigel and first officer Luis Etcheverry, who died in the accident, as well as a series of shortcomings on the part of the airline.

Other websites

• "Final accident report." (Archive) Junta de Investigaciones de Accidentes de Aviación Civil (in Spanish) – Available on Wikisource

• Service history of the airplane
• Website for the film Whisky Romeo Zulu (Archive)