Avianca A319, upset injures 8, on Jan 23rd 2020
| An Avianca Costa Rica Airbus A319-100, registration N703AV performing flight LR-693 from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Bogota (Colombia) with 108 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 150nm southeast of Panama City (Panama) when the crew decided to divert to Panama City due to an upset causing injuries on board and a cockpit indication. The aircraft landed safely in Panama City about 30 minutes later. 6 Passengers and 2 cabin crew were attended to by paramedics. The airline reported the crew had received an alert on one of the aircraft systems. During the flight an abrupt movement of the aircraft occurred. The crew diverted to Panama City, 6 passengers and 2 cabin crew were treated by paramedics after landing in Panama City. Mode-S data transmitted by the aircraft show the aircraft at FL370 at about 488 knots over ground as it crossed the coast into Colombia. Within a minute the aircraft turned about 25 degrees to the right and descended to below FL350, another minute later was in a significant climb above FL350 to near FL360 at 410 knots over ground, before settling on FL350 another minute later, the speed over ground continued to fluctuate between 412 and 516 knots until it settled at 449 knots about 6 minutes after the upset, when the aircraft had turned 180 degrees to the left and was on course to Panama City. Passenger photos show a cabin ceiling cracked by impact, blood stains on the cabin ceiling, a destroyed lavatory and debris all across the cabin. Aviation Herald |
