 Northrop F-5E Tiger II similar to one of those involved in the accident | |
| Aircraft collision in flight | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 September 1995 (1995-09-16) |
| Summary | A Northrop F-5 hit a Lockheed T-33 in flight and in turn hit another pair of T-33s |
| Site | Mexico City |
| Total fatalities | 6 |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Total survivors | 3 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | 1× Light fighter; 4× Trainer |
| Aircraft name | 1× Northrop F-5E Tiger II; 4× Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star |
| Operator | Mexican Air Force |
| Registration | 4003 (F-5); JE-009, JE-036, JE-049, JE-050 (T-33) |
| Flight origin | Santa Lucia Air Force Base |
| Destination | Santa Lucia Air Force Base |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 3 |
The air accident at the military parade on September 16, 1995 was an event that occurred in Mexico in which 5 aircraft collided in the air, 4 of which were destroyed instantly.
Events
During the military parade to celebrate the 185th anniversary of the Independence of Mexico in which, among other aircraft, squadrons of Northrop F-5 and Lockheed T-33 participated, flying in their respective formations. At 11:44 a.m., the Northrop F-5E with registration 4003 piloted by Captain Héctor Ricardo Trejo Flores hits the Lockheed T-33 with registration JE-050 in flight, which was piloted by General Gonzalo Curiel García and Lieutenant Gustavo Enrique Pérez Estrada. This impact generated a chain reaction that caused the successive collision against the Lockheed T-33 with registration JE-036 piloted by Major José Rivera Gutiérrez and Lieutenant Gerardo Ceballos Peraza; This collision also affected the Lockheed T-33 with registration JE-009 and the Lockheed T-33 with registration JE-049, this one piloted by Lieutenant Mario Humberto Sánchez García and Lieutenant Jorge Vergara Mogollón.
JE-009 was lightly damaged and was able to return to the Santa Lucía Air Base with its crew unharmed, however, 4003, whose pilot ejected but did not survive, crashed in the Huixquilucan area. The rest of the aircraft crashed in Cuajimalpa, where only both pilots of JE-036 managed to eject, however the only survivor of this accident would be Lieutenant Gerardo Ceballos, since the rest of the pilots died.
Several factors are mentioned that could have caused the accident, from a route invasion by the T-33, flight at a lower altitude than ordered by the F-5 at the same time that the T-33 were flying above its corresponding altitude, in addition to desynchronization during maneuvers.
General Gonzalo Curiel García
One of those killed in said accident, General Gonzalo Curiel, supposedly maintained friendly ties with Amado Carrillo, as he introduced his son as his nephew to allow him to board a FAM helicopter during the parade and the night before he would have attended an evening in the drug lord's house. Curiel García was also director of public security of Guadalajara, flight instructor of the Air College and commander of the Military Air Base No. 4 of Cozumel before being commander of the Military Air Base No. 2 of Ixtepec, a position he held at the time. of his death.
Currently, the Mascota Airport in the state of Jalisco bears his name.
References
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55161". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55154". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55159". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55160". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- Villa, Soledad (16 September 2022). "Lo que no sabías de los peores accidentes del desfile militar del 16 de septiembre" [What you didn't know about the worst accidents of the September 16 military parade] (in Spanish). Independent en español. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- "Servía al narco el general muerto en el desfile del 16 de septiembre de 95" [The general who died in the parade on September 16, 1995 served the drug trafficker] (in Spanish). La Jornada. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- "El general y su "sobrino Amado"" [The general and his "beloved nephew"] (in Spanish). Proceso. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (4 July 2022). "Base de Datos de Aeródromos y Helipuertos" [Airfields and Heliports Database] (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2023.
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