A small tourist plane crashed on Saturday in southern Peru, killing all 13 people on board during a flight over the bbc.co.uk archaeological site, according to Peru’s government. The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan, was carrying 11 passengers and two crew members when it went down in the area of Socos, approximately 6km from the city of Nazca and roughly 19km from the ancient geoglyphs.
Tourist Plane Crash Kills 13 People Near Nazca Lines
According to police reports cited by theguardian.com, the 11 passengers consisted of seven Italians, two Germans, and two Spanish people. The pilot and copilot were identified by authorities as Americo Salazar Cuellar and Irenka Del Carpio, respectively. Police Major Jorge Andrade stated to reporters at the scene that given the severity of the accident, there were no survivors, and they had recovered four bodies so far, as reported by the BBC.
Flight Timeline and Emergency Reporting
The aircraft belonged to the local Peruvian airline apnews.com. Accounts of the flight’s departure point varied slightly among official reports, with Peru’s National Police stating the plane took off from Pisco Airport, while Peru’s Ministry for Trade and Tourism and apnews.com noted departures linked to Ica and Pisco.
The Ministry of Transport reported that the aircraft departed at roughly 12:10 p.m. local time. At approximately 1:00 p.m., the crew reported an emergency situation to the control tower at Nazca airport before all radio contact was lost. The crash itself occurred at approximately 1:20 p.m. local time, following which the plane caught fire on arid plains in the Pueblo Viejo region. Firefighters and municipal police officers were dispatched to extinguish the flames, though the severity of the fire made rescue efforts impossible.
Investigation and Aviation Safety Concerns
The exact cause of the crash remains unknown, and Peru’s government confirmed that an investigation is underway. In a statement, the municipality of Nazca noted that the investigation and the oversight of aviation operations are the responsibility of competent authorities tasked with determining causes and assigning liability.
Aerodiana stated that it will assess its flight schedule in accordance with the directives of relevant authorities. The disaster highlights ongoing scrutiny over flights at the UNESCO World Heritage site, which features immense desert geoglyphs—such as hummingbird, monkey, and whale figures—that are only fully visible from the air. The destination attracts roughly 100,000 to hundreds of thousands of annual visitors who routinely view the etchings via small-aircraft overflights operated by competing companies.
Context of Prior Aviation Incidents
Saturday’s tragedy is part of a history of fatal plane crashes at the site over the past few decades:
- 2022: A small tourist plane crashed during an overflight, killing seven people, including two Chileans and three Dutch nationals.
- October 2010: Four British tourists and two Peruvian crew members died when a small plane operated by AirNasca crashed after flying over the lines.
- 2010 (Earlier): Three Chileans and four Peruvians were killed when a Cessna 206 went down.
- April 2008: Five French tourists died in another crash, though the pilot survived.
In the aftermath of the latest accident, the Municipalidad Provincial de Nasca expressed deep sorrow in an online statement and extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Peru’s tourism ministry similarly issued a statement expressing profound sorrow over the tragic deaths of the tourists and crew members.