Volunteer Firefighters identified the victims of the plane accident on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, who were going to attend a corporate training session that was suspended after the incident.
The water landing occurred this Thursday, October 8, after a private helicopter with seven people on board crashed into the waters of Lake Atitlán. Two people, including the pilot, remain missing.
The accident occurred in the jurisdiction of Panajachel, in the department of Sololá, when the aircraft was performing an approach maneuver toward the heliport of a hotel complex after taking off from the country's capital.
Of the occupants, five were rescued alive, while the pilot and one passenger remain submerged in the structure.
A half-hour journey that ended abruptly in the bay of San Buenaventura
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) detailed that the aircraft, an Airbus Helicopters EC130 (also registered as model H130) with registration TG-GUH, took off at 12:11 from La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.
The estimated flight time was 30 minutes. However, between 12:35 and 12:48, the aircraft suddenly lost altitude off the coast of the San Buenaventura estate.
Air tracking platforms such as Flightradar24 specified that the aircraft carried out three consecutive operations during the day.
At 09:18, it completed a route to Antigua Gua…
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A private helicopter with seven people on board crashed into the waters of Lake Atitlán during an approach maneuver in Panajachel. (Screenshot)
Volunteer Firefighters identified the victims of the air accident on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, who were to attend a corporate training session that was suspended after the incident. The water landing occurred this Thursday, October 8, after a private helicopter with seven people on board fell into the waters of Lake Atitlán. Two people, including the pilot, remain missing.
The accident occurred in the jurisdiction of Panajachel, in the department of Sololá, when the aircraft was performing an approach maneuver toward the heliport of a hotel complex after taking off from the country's capital. Of the occupants, five were rescued alive, while the pilot and one passenger remain submerged in the structure.
A video captures the exact moment a helicopter falls onto the surface of the water near Lake Atitlán, located in Sololá, Guatemala. Two people remain missing. (Social Media)
The Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) detailed that the aircraft, an Airbus Helicopters EC130 (also registered as the H130 model) with registration TG-GUH, took off at 12:11 from La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. The estimated flight time was 30 minutes. However, between 12:35 and 12:48, the aircraft suddenly lost altitude off the coast of the San Buenaventura estate.
Air tracking platforms such as Flightradar24 noted that the aircraft carried out three consecutive operations during the day. The radar record of the Airbus EC130 helicopter was definitively interrupted while flying at an altitude of 5,150 feet. (FlightRadar24)
At 09:18, it completed a 17-minute route to Antigua Guatemala, which it repeated at 11:41. On its third trip, while flying over Lake Atitlán at an altitude of 5,150 feet with 18 minutes of travel, the radar signal was definitively interrupted.
Reports from the National Civil Police (PNC) confirmed that the group of passengers consisted of executives traveling to a corporate training session at a local hotel, an activity that was suspended after the accident. Rescue teams managed to evacuate five people alive: Andrea Lozano Ardón de Sittenfeld, Diego Díaz, César Enrique Morales Catú, Cáterin Victoria Chay Carrillo, and Sandra Natali Santizo Romero. None suffered serious injuries, and all were housed at the same hotel establishment under medical evaluation.
The passengers on the flight were part of a group of executives traveling to a corporate training session. (Army of Guatemala)
In contrast, the captain and pilot of the aircraft, Jorge Rodolfo Maldonado, as well as passenger Pablo José Polanco Agustín, did not surface and remain inside the submerged structure. Rescue personnel presume that both victims were trapped in the fuselage when the aircraft hit the water's surface.
Members of the Volunteer Fire Department and personnel from the Naval Station of the Guatemalan Army deployed a specialized team of 40 rescuers, known as Frogmen, with the aim of locating the remains.
An Airbus Helicopters EC 130 helicopter crashed into Lake Atitlán with seven people on board after taking off from La Aurora International Airport. (Volunteer Firefighters)
PNC estimates place the helicopter at an estimated depth of between 200 and 300 meters, which exceeds the conventional diving operational limit of rescuers, set at 100 meters. To overcome this limitation, the brigades incorporated technology including the Aqua Eye sonar device, an underwater drone, and specialized lift bags.
Rescue teams face the difficulty of locating the fuselage at an estimated depth of between 200 and 300 meters, while using an underwater drone to locate the helicopter and the missing victims. (Video: Volunteer Firefighters)
However, adverse weather conditions and heavy rains in Panajachel forced the temporary suspension of underwater work. Aeronautical and police authorities keep the investigation open to clarify the technical or human failures that caused the aircraft's sudden descent.