51 years after its crash, botanical biologists found the remains of Aeromexico Flight 229, which crashed in the coastal mountains of Jalisco in June 1973. It was during a botanical expedition that biologists from the Vallarta Botanical Garden carried out on September 20 that they found the remains of Aeromexico Flight 229, which claimed the lives of its 22 passengers and five crew members. This plane, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, took off on June 20 from the international airport in Houston, Texas, heading to the international airport in Mexico City, making two previous stops: the airport in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., the pilot of the aircraft made contact with the control tower at the Vallarta airport and was cleared to land. However, at 10:47 p.m. local time, the plane headed toward the side of the mountain and crashed, about 37 kilometers (20 nmi) south-southeast of the airport.
According to reports, the plane broke up and caught fire, killing 27 people on the spot. The aircraft was controlled by air traffic controller Alejandro Rojano, who reported having lost communication with the pilot at 10:50 p.m. He immediately reported the incident to Ramsa’s headquarters in Mexico City. It was determined that the aircraft did not reduce speed when making the descent pattern, leaving the bay area and thus creating the accident.
Now 51 years later, biologists from the Botanical Garden found remains of the aircraft in the mountainous area between Puerto Vallarta and Cabo Corrientes. At the site, remains of an engine and the fuselage of the aircraft were found, objects that were forgotten for more than five decades among the undergrowth of the so-called Sierra del Tuito and that recall the greatest aeronautical tragedy in the Mexican Central Pacific region.
Source: jalisco.quadratin
