Bryan Cunningham contributed and wrote this article
My accident occurred while I was working as an Aircraft Technical Representative at a US-based airline. The Technical Operations section was stationed in Central America. A few times a month, I would fly down from the US to El Salvador along with a few crew members. We would then oversee heavy maintenance on Airbus A320s by Aeroman (an aircraft Maintenance Repair Organization, MRO).
I was wrapping up my last stint in San Salvador at Aeroman and was looking forward to taking some time off. I was going to Honduras to visit my four-year-old son, who was staying with his mom.
Although I love El Salvador, I was keen to be away from it all and spend some time with William, my son whom I hadn't seen in over a month. TACA 390 was my morning flight. I called TACA on Friday morning to switch from an afternoon flight to one that morning.
It was a poor choice. It was actually the first of many decisions that I would make that would change the outcome of my day.
When I arrived at San Salvador airport to check-in for my flight from San Salvador to Tegucigalpa (the capital and largest city of Honduras), I was offered the option to either sit in the middle or move to the rear. I chose row 26.
It was a wise decision.
As an Ashtray
Toncontin International airport, TGU is unlike any other airport. It's like no other city. It is one of the most dangerous airports in the world. It has been described as an "ashtray". Use your imagination. It's basically a runway that is set in a small basin, surrounded by steep hills on all sides. Every approach to the site can be challenging for pilots. It has been there several times over the years but I have never used it.
(Click to view a "normal" landing at YouTube's TGU
It was a smooth flight, covering 131 miles in an A320 aircraft over Central America's rainforest and mountains. The normal flight time is 40 minutes. However, the pilot had to do a second go-around. The weather was bad over Tegus after Tropical Storm Alma just passed through.
We did it again.
Pilots often do a second attempt there. After circling for a while, we finally descended. The landing felt so natural that I couldn't believe it as the plane flew in. I knew there was something wrong.
People began to clap in the middle of landing. Everyone was cheering! Everyone was cheering! I felt something wasn't right in that instant. I pulled my seatbelt tighter and threw my arms up to brace for impact. We were going to hit something, I knew.
It happened in milliseconds.
Cracked open like an egg
It was a good thing that I moved to row26, and not in the middle of where I was originally seated. The jet came to a halt and cracked like an egg. Around row 10, light began to shine through the cabin. Around row 10, light flooded into the cabin.
Official investigation found pilot error. However, I believe three factors contributed to our failure. The runway was too slick from Tropical Storm Alma and there was heavy fog. We also probably hit the ground far enough down the runway that we could not stop safely.
One-hundred forty people sat on seatbacks and ate from tray tables like dominos. Then came the pandemonium. The people began screaming and shouting fire! as they tried to flee.
We later learned that the captain had been killed on impact. In total, 5 people died. Three people died in the plane and two others in a taxi that was on the ground when it crashed into the ground.
The cabin crew did an amazing job of helping passengers get out, despite all the chaos. They were very efficient in executing their emergency procedures. Lucky enough to be at the back, and to have been one of the first to go down the emergency slide. Outside the plane I could see the fuel leaking and considered the possibility of a bigger fire.
Many people were coming out of the plane in need of assistance. I did not hesitate to grab some elderly passengers and pull them up the hill where we had come to rest. As the wreckage sank, we could see the last few passengers emerge from the wreckage as large crowds of people gathered to view the scene.
Ambulances quickly arrived and police were there a few minutes later. A triage unit was also set up. Except for the ones in the middle, all of them had only minor injuries. They were very hurt. Although I was in great pain, it was not severe. I knew that most people were much worse off than me and wanted to ensure they were taken care.
I wanted to contact my family immediately, but I couldn't remember their phone numbers. I didn't think they would have been of much use since I forgot my passport and credit cards.
I was confused as I stood in the midst of all the chaos. I was in complete disarray, and I didn't know what to do. A woman working at the airport walked up to me out of the blue. She grabbed me out of the crowd. She took me to her office where I was able use a phone to call my colleagues in San Salvador. They provided me with all the numbers that I needed to reach my family and friends.
I looked pretty disorganized at that point and didn't know what to do. I was kindly escorted to my hotel by the woman at the airport. My company and the US Embassy had left messages for me when I arrived. Although I was unsure if anyone would find out, I believe they did.
My pain was becoming worse so I was able to get a ride to the hospital that had taken most of the passengers on flight 390. People were divided into three or four hospitals. I stayed there for a while before doctors confirmed that there was nothing serious.
I could not help but notice the people in worse situations than me as I sat in the hospital. Many had patches or bandages on their eyes, while others had their heads covered with plasters. Many were in wheelchairs and had broken feet or legs.
It was awful to be OK. However, I felt extremely lucky that it wasn't my time yet.
I stayed in Tegus four days. It was a happy place to be alive and replay that day in my mind. Taca bussed me, along with others, four hours north to San Pedro Sula. This was not a bus ride that I would want to repeat. Imagine the twisty roads of Central America, as you look to your left. Mile after mile, the road drops into deep ravines. From San Pedro Sula I took a flight to Miami.
TGU was closed to large aircraft for a while. Until the investigation was complete, large planes had to divert 40-miles north to an airport with long runways. The airport is currently under debate in Honduras. Flight 390 was the latest in a series of fatal accidents that occurred there.
It was quite an experience to witness the crash of Taca 390. It seems strange to be in an aviation accident with a plane I am familiar with and on an airline that I have worked for so long in San Salvador.
It was, in a word: surreal.
Bryan Cunningham contributed and wrote this article
