A RED Air McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashed after landing at Miami International Airport on Tuesday after its landing geared collapsed.
On June 21, 2022, Dominican Republic-based RED Air was performing a scheduled flight from Santo Domingo (SDQ) to Miami (MIA) as flight L5 203. The crew of the 32-year-old MD-82 (registered HI1064) was cleared to land on runway 09, successfully touching down at 5:37 p.m. local time. It appears that the main gear collapsed some seconds after touch down, causing the plane to suddenly veer to the left once it started slowing down.
During its excursion, the right wing ploughed through a number of objects including a communications antenna which was seen wrapped around the right wing after the aircraft came to a complete stop. A small fire erupted on the right wing of the aircraft as a result of the damaged fuel tank, however emergency services were quick to extinguish the flames while passengers were evacuated from the left side of the aircraft. Only three persons on board on the aircraft required hospitalization which the remaining passengers and crew were all cleared after medication examinations. There were 130 passengers and 10 crew members on board.
Airport camera operators were able to catch the final moments as the aircraft skidded down the runway and off into the grass next to the taxiway.
In a video taken from within the cabin during its final moments, the landing appears to be nominal, but a loud vibration could be heard some seconds after, indicative of a failure with the landing gear.
The airline issued the following statement shortly after the incident.
RED Air airline informs the public that yesterday Tuesday June 21, at 5:45 p.m. Flight L5-203 covering the route between the cities of Santo Domingo and Miami, experienced technical difficulties after landing at Miami International Airport (MIA).
We want to report that all 130 passengers and 10 crew members were evacuated and attended according to established protocols and due processes applicable to these cases have been met.
The Aviation Accident Investigating Commission (CIAA), an affiliated body to the JAC, in conjunction with local authorities in the City of Miami, have begun relevant investigations in order to determine the circumstances of the incident.
At RED Air we express our absolute solidarity with the passengers and crew of the aircraft.
RED Air was founded in 2020 and began operations as a low-cost carrier in November 2021, basing its operations out of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The airline was a joint venture between Venezuelan airline LASER Airlines and Dominican fixed-base operator SERVAIR Dominicana, taking on a 28-year old McDonnell Douglas MD-81 and 3 McDonnell Douglas MD-82s (ranging between 32-34 years old). All four aircraft previously flew for LASER. So far it appears that the MD-82s have been in active service been Santo Domingo and Miami while the MD-81 has been parked for some time.
[Featured Photo: RED Air]
