LATAM Airlines plane crashes on Peruvian runway, two firefighters dead

By Marco Aquino

11:18 JST, November 19, 2022

LIMA (Reuters) – A LATAM Airlines LTM.SN jet collided with a firetruck on the runway of Peru’s Jorge Chavez International Airport as it was taking off on Friday, the carrier said, resulting in the death of two firefighters.

No passengers or flight crew members were killed in the incident, the airline said.

It remains unclear why the firetruck entered the runway while the plane was taking off and the prosecutors’ office said it was investigating the incident as potential manslaughter.

Video posted on social media showed the jet colliding with the firetruck as it careened down the runway, then rapidly catching fire and smoking heavily as it ground to a halt.

Lima Airport Partners, which operates Jorge Chavez in Lima, the nation’s most important airport, said the airport will remain closed at least through 1 p.m. local time on Saturday.

The flight was LA2213, covering the domestic Lima-Juliaca route, LATAM Airlines said.

This is the second incident in less than a month involving LATAM Airlines, after one of its planes had its nose destroyed during a severe storm that forced it to make an emergency landing.