Aircraft

An Airbus A320 operated by Brazilian carrier TAM has crashed on landing in Sao Paulo, killing all passengers onboard and on the ground with a death toll of nearly 200 people.

Registered as PR-MBK and built in 1998, the A320 was operating as flight 3054 between Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil and Sao Paulo’s Congonhas airport carrying 176 passengers and crew.

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The fast-growing carrier’s A320 reportedly skidded off the runway on landing in wet conditions shortly before 19:00 local time and crashed into buildings and a fuel station after crossing a busy roadway.

News reports and television pictures show burning aircraft wreckage and a burning TAM building at the airport. Reports say there are no survivors from the aircraft and that more than a dozen people on the ground were killed, putting the death toll at nearly 200.

According to Flight’s ACAS database, PR-MBK was built in 1998. It is listed in the database as being owned by Pegasus Aviation and having entered service with TAM in January this year.

Powered by International Aero Engines V2500s, it had a manufacturer’s serial number of 789 and was first operated by TACA. It was later operated by Pacific Airlines of Vietnam.

ACAS data shows that as of 30 April the aircraft had accumulated 20,379 flying hours and 9,313 cycles.

The airline's black box has been recovered and an investigation is underway.

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