Aircraft

US investigators are to assist a Mexican inquiry into the USA Jet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 freighter crash near Saltillo yesterday which killed one of the two pilots on board.

At least one of the flight recorders has been recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft.

The 41-year old twin-jet, registered N199US, had been attempting to land at Plan de Guadalupe Airport following a service from Shreveport, Louisiana, which originated in the Canadian city of Hamilton.

It came down north of the airport, near Ramos Arizpe, at around 01:15, before breaking up and catching fire. The captain of the jet was killed and the first officer was taken to hospital with critical injuries. No-one on the ground was hurt.

The aircraft, owned and operated by the carrier since 1996, is said to have been transporting 3.6t of car parts.

Images from the scene show one of the aircraft’s flight recorders – whether this is the cockpit-voice or flight-data recorder is unclear – being transported from the area.

USA Jet Airlines is a Michigan-based specialist charter carrier which has a large fleet of DC-9 aircraft in various configurations. Its operations include performing passenger transport for sports teams and corporate events.

Plan de Guadalupe Airport, which is surrounded by high terrain, has two runways but the main one, 17/35, is about 2,880m (9,450ft) long and equipped with an instrument landing system.

Weather conditions at the time of the accident are unknown. Representatives of the US National Transportation Safety Board, FAA, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney are to aid the investigation.

AirSpace gallery: USA Jet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9