October 28, 2022, 23:30 PM
October 28, 2022, 23:30 PM
The LATAM Airlines company confirmed on Thursday (10.27.2022) that the plane that covered the Santiago de Chile-Asunción route, which made an emergency landing at the main airport in Paraguay, suffered “external damage” due to the extreme weather conditions in the route.
Local media, which released photos and videos of the aircraft, indicated that the plane landed without an engine and the windshields were damaged due to the impact of hail. The images show a hole in the nose of the fuselage. The company’s statement did not confirm or deny such versions.
The terror of the passengers
Likewise, several passengers reported to local media the moments of panic they experienced inside the ship, which took off from Santiago de Chile with 48 travelers on board. In the images you can see the strong turbulence that the plane experienced. Through the windows, for example, a sequence of lightning strikes produced by the storm can be seen.
A spokesman for the Paraguayan Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology told some local media that between 6:00 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, winds with a speed of 110 kilometers per hour were recorded in the area of the airport of the Paraguayan capital.
The storm system began in the Chaco region and moved towards Asunción, generating hail, gusts of wind and heavy rain in its wake, the official said.
In a statement, LATAM Airlines Paraguay indicated that flight 1325 had to land at 6:43 p.m. this Wednesday (9:43 p.m. GMT) at the Foz de Iguazú International Airport, designated as an alternate, due to “bad weather conditions” over the Silvio airport Pettirossi, which serves the Paraguayan capital.
The document stated that the aircraft resumed its flight to Asunción “having improved conditions at destination.” However, he faced “severe weather conditions” during the flight, which forced an emergency landing at the Paraguayan capital’s airport at 11:09 p.m. local time (02:09 GMT this Thursday).
“The weather conditions encountered during the route impacted the operation and caused external damage to the aircraft,” the company said without providing further details.
In addition, the airline reported that it is collaborating with the investigation carried out by the authorities on the incident and regretted the situation experienced by the passengers. The National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics of Paraguay (DINAC) announced that it is also investigating what happened.
