Another day, another Aerosucre incident? The already questionable Colombian cargo carrier is once again in the news after one of its Boeing 727 Freighters clipped a localizer antenna while departing El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia.
On November 10, 2024, Aerosucre was scheduled to operate cargo flight 372 from Bogota, Colombia to Valencia (VLN), Venezuela with a 44-year-old Boeing 727-200 Freighter registered HK-5216.
At 4:40 p.m. local time, the aircraft began its takeoff roll from Runway 14 Left, only becoming airborne at the very end.
Unfortunately, they were unable to gain enough altitude, resulting in the landing gear striking the localizer antenna located near Runway 32 Right (highlighted in the red rectangle below). The aircraft spent about one hour in the air before returning to the field, safely landing on the parallel Runway 14 Right.
In a translated statement, Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Aerocivil said:
“The Civil Aeronautics informs that, on the afternoon of today, Sunday November 10, at 4:21 p.m., a Boeing 727-200 cargo plane that was flying between Bogota and Valencia (Venezuela) collided with one of the Localizer (LOC) antennas of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) of the north runway (14L) of the El Dorado International Airport during its takeoff.
“The plane completed its takeoff, consumed fuel in the air, and landed without further incidents on the south runway of the same airport at 5:42 p.m., presenting several damages to the landing gear and the left wing.
“A technical team from the Civil Aeronautics Department is currently assessing the extent of the damage caused to the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and its possible impact on airport operations.
“It should be noted that, at the time of the incident, all airport systems and services were operating normally to handle the cargo flight.
“The Technical Directorate for Accident Investigation is investigating the factors associated with this serious incident, including the airline’s planning, with the aim of identifying the causes and formulating recommendations that contribute to prevention.”
From photos shared on social media, it appears the aircraft sustained damage to the wing’s leading edge, several parts of the landing gear, and one of its underbelly antennas. One of the main gear tires was also sliced apart when it hit the array.
With very little evidence, it’s hard to say why the aircraft struggled to gain altitude, but this incident doesn’t come as a surprise given the company’s very lax safety culture. There are numerous videos online showing Aerosucre aircraft struggling to gain lift as a result takeoff weight limits being exceeded.
Some of their pilots even maintain a low angle of attack on takeoff to gain as much speed as possible before trying to gain altitude, at the risk of colliding with nearby obstacles.
Assuming a possible overweight scenario and Bogota’s high airport elevation (just over 8,300 feet above sea level), this latest occurrence was yet another recipe for disaster. Of course we will have to wait for the CAA’s report to ultimately determine what went wrong.
Over the past 30 years, the carrier has been involved in eight notable incidents, with the most serious being Aerosucre flight 157. On December 20, 2016, the similarly operated Boeing 727-200 Freighter flight overran the runway at Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, Colombia.
The aircraft came into contact with the perimeter fence, and the pilots ultimately lost control of the aircraft, crashing less than five miles from the airport. Five of the six people on board lost their lives, and it was determined that the aircraft was loaded beyond its maximum takeoff weight. Other factors such as bad piloting techniques and a prevailing tailwind also contributed to the accident.
