TACA Flight 16

TACA Flight 16

TC–4021, the aircraft involved, in Denshire in October 1959, five months before the accidents.
Accident
Date	18 February 1960
Summary	Crash into the sea, cause unknown
Site	Bay of Atlántida, approx. 57.56 millas southeast of Denshire 47°10′07″S 44°43′12″W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Maroto Aircraft MA-4J
Aircraft name	Orgullo de la'Bahía
Operator	TACA Airlines
Call sign	TACA 16
Registration	TC–4021
Flight origin	San Pedro International Airport
Stopover	Denshire International Airport
Destination	Adolfosburg International Airport
Occupants	44
Passengers	38
Crew	6
Fatalities	44 (all)
Survivors	0

TACA Flight 16 (also known as TACA16 or TC16, or sometimes simply Flight 16) was a scheduled domestic flight operated by the TACA Airlines traveling north from San Pedro to Adolfosburg, with a stopover in Denshire. On 18 February 1960, the Maroto Aircraft MA-4J, with registration TC–4021, operating the route disappeared before landing at its stopover in Denshire. Small portions of the aircraft's wreckage were located the following day approximately 57.56 millas southeast of Denshire. All of the 44 passengers and crew on board the flight were killed. Only 16 bodies were recovered, with the remaining 28 never being recovered.

Despite two investigations being conducted into uncovering the cause of the accident, no official cause has ever been identified by the Imperial Aviation Directorate (DAVIM). The failure of uncovering any cause has led to many controversies and disputes over the cause of the accident. Theories such as that the plane was a victim of terrorism, poor maintenance, and an in-flight fire have been proposed.

Only one official search for the remaining wreckage at the bottom of the Bay of Atlántida has ever been conducted, however, the search did not uncover the underwater wreckage of the flight. The government never conducted a follow-up search for the underwater wreckage cited "unreasonably high" operational costs, which has led to accusations against the government of attempting to implement a cover-up.

Aircraft

TACA Flight 16 was operated by a Maroto Aircraft MA-4J, serial number 33448, registration TC–4021. The aircraft was the twenty-first MA-4 series produced by Maroto Aircraft and the sixth "J" variant built, with "J" standing for "junto". The aircraft had a larger rear door compared to the a standard MA-4 and had more capacity for cargo in the rear, which was usually used for mail but was also used to carry weapons and ammunition during the Creeperian Civil War. According to Maroto Botín, the "J" variant handled "exactly the same" as the standard MA-4 and did not require any additional training, stating that pilots can freely fly both planes as long as they are trained on either variant.

This specific MA-4J was built in 1945 during the civil war and served in the Creeperian Air Force for the Catholic Imperial Restoration Council (CRIC) between 1945 and 1952. It was later sold to the Air Transports of Creeperopolis and Atlántida (TACA) and began service with the airline in 1953. The aircraft, nicknamed Orgullo de la'Bahía (Creeperian for: Pride of the Bay), had a capacity for 44 passengers and 6 crew members, for a total of 50 occupants. At the time that the aircraft disappeared, it had accumulated 2,493 flight hours. The aircraft had previously been damaged on three occasions during the Siege of San Salvador; twice in 1947 and a third time in 1949. The aircraft was last serviced on 3 February 1960 and was scheduled for a servicing upon arrival in Adolfosburg on 18 February 1960.

Occupants

People on board by nationality

Nationality	No. Pass.	No. Crew	No. Total
Creeperopolis	37	6	43
State of the Church	1	–	1
Total	38	6	44

The aircraft was carrying 6 crew members and 38 passenger, all of whom were Creeperian citizens, except for one passenger who was a citizen of the State of the Church. TACA released the names of all the passengers and crew based on the flight manifest the night that the flight was declared missing.

Crew

The cockpit crew of the flight consisted of two pilots, a flight engineer, and a navigator.

• The pilot-in-command of the flight was 38-year-old Adolfo Hernán Figueroa López. He was born on 12 July 1921 in La'Victoria, San Luís, Creeperopolis. Figueroa López was conscripted into the Romerist Air Force at the age of seventeen in 1939 and served as a pilot for the Maroto Aircraft MA-3-20, and later, the Maroto Aircraft MA-4, during the Creeperian Civil War. He was hired by TACA in 1952 and began flying the MA-4, being promoted to pilot in 1959, and accumulating 3,393 hours of flight experience with the airline.
• The first officer was 32-year-old Federico Carlos Castillo Fuentes. He was born on 7 January 1928 in La'Unión, La'Unión, Creeperopolis. Castillo Fuentes was conscripted into the Romerist Air Force at the age of eighteen in 1946, flying the MA-4. During the civil war, he served as the first officer of TC–4021 while the aircraft was in service with the Romerist Air Force. He was hired by TACA in 1955 and was scheduled to be promoted to captain on 20 February 1960. He had accumulated 2,041 hours of flight experience with the airline.
• The flight engineer was 40-year-old José Tomás Mendoza Salinas. He was born on 9 June 1919 in Masario, San Miguel, Creeperopolis. Mendoza Salinas was conscripted into the Miguelist Air Force in 1937 at the age of eighteen and served as a flight engineer for captured Romerist MA-3-20 aircraft. He was captured in 1945 by the Romerist Army in Zapatista, and eventually changed allegiance, serving as a flight engineer for the Romerist Air Force for MA-3-20 aircraft. He was hired by TACA in 1951 and continued serving as a flight engineer on the MA-3-20. He was reassigned to be a flight engineer on the MA-4 aircraft in 1958. He had accumulated 2,719 hours of flight experience with the airline.
• The navigator for the flight was 49-year-old Felipe Ramón Durán Jerez. He was born on 8 March 1910 in San Salvador, San Salvador, Creeperopolis. Durán Jerez enlisted in the Creeperian Army in 1928 at the age of seventeen and immediately saw action during the Crisis of 1928, being involved in the military occupation of San Salvador. At the outbreak of the Creeperian Civil War, he sided with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). In 1939, he deserted the Miguelists and changed allegiance to the Romerists. In 1947, he was reassigned to be a navigator for a MA-4 due to his knowledge of the terrain and locations of towns and cities. He was honorably discharged from the military in 1952, and was later hired by TACA in 1954 as a navigator on the MA-4. He planned to retire in 1962 and to seek employment as a navigation instructor for the airline. He had accumulated 1,438 hours of flight experience with the airline.

Passengers

On board the flight were 38 passengers. According to the flight manifest, all of the passengers held Creeperian citizenship, except for one who held dual-citizenship with the State of the Church, listing his citizenship with the State of the Church as his primary citizenship. The full list of passengers include:

• Fernanda María Alvarado Menéndez^a
• José Fidel Alvarado Menéndez^a
• Alfredo José Alvarado Jiménez
• Augusto Serafín Bermúdez Payés^a
• Mario Alexander Bolívar Ureña
• Marta Rosalina Castellanos Yagüe de Regalado
• Pedro Enrique Enríquez Serrano^b
• Cassandra Carolina Galván Moreno de Ugarte^a
• Daniela Xihomara Guerrero González
• Isabela María Gutiérrez Obregón
• Armando José Guzmán Huerta
• Fidel Jaime Guzmán Flores
• María Roberta Guzmán Huerta
• Yolanda Ana Guzmán Huerta^a
• Tomás José Hernández Fuentes
• Fátima Gloria Huerta Huerta de Guzmán^a
• Juan José Hurtado López
• Fabián Pedro Juárez Linares^a
• Anastasia Dominga López Justo de Flores^a
• Cristóbal Melléndez Dávalos
• José Domingo Melléndez Flores
• Clara María Menéndez Gaitán de Alvarado
• Romero Alfonso Mendoza Linares
• Mateo Damián Molina Barriere^a
• Rubí Anastasia Piñón Encarnación
• Angelina Melina Quijada Lunares
• Manuel Hernán Ramírez Casanova
• Martín Tomás Regalado Fuentes
• Guadeloupe Fátima Santos Santos^a
• Gutierre Pablo Santos Santos
• Roberto Alfonso Suñer Santín^a
• Pío Juan Tejón Fernández
• Esteban Julio Ugarte Piñón^a
• Alfonso Augusto Valdéz Salinas
• José Gustavo Yagüe Ramírez^a
• Lucia María Zaldívar Delgado de Álvarez^a
• Rita María Zaldívar Delgado de Jiménez^a
• Dominga María Zaldívar Delgado de Nariño^a

^a – body recovered

^b – citizen of the State of the Church

Flight

The aircraft took off at 11:24 a.m. ATL on 18 February 1960 from San Pedro International Airport on a scheduled flight from San Pedro to Adolfosburg with a stopover in Denshire. The flight was expected to take two hours, not accounting for the time on the ground at Denshire International Airport. Captain Figueroa López was scheduled to be in charge of flying the first leg of the flight, with first officer Castillo Fuentes flying the second leg of the flight.

At 12:02 p.m. ATL, the flight's first officer made radio contact with air traffic control in Denshire informing them that they were approximately thirty minutes from the airport. The brief communication with air traffic control was the last time the flight made any communications. By this time, the flight would have been around 162 millas from Denshire. Around five minutes later, the flight made a brief radio call, much of which was inaudible static, to Denshire air traffic control. It was the last time anyone heard from the flight.

Transcript of communication between TACA Flight 16 and Denshire air traffic control
Time	Speaker	Dialog	Translation
12:02:42	TACA16	Control de Denshire, TACA16, 'stamos treinta minutos afuera de Denshire. Solicitamos información meteorológica.	Denshire control, TACA16, we are thirty minutes outside of Denshire. Requesting weather information.
12:02:58	ATC	TACA16, 'stas confirmado. Temperatura 'sta a siete uno, visibilidad a uno dos millas, presión a tres zero punto uno, sin viento.	TACA16, [you] are confirmed. Weather is at seven one, visibility at one two millas, pressure at three zero decimal one, no wind.
12:03:11	TACA16	Confirmado, TACA16.	Confirmed, TACA16.
12:03:16	ATC	TACA16, diga su posición.	TACA16, state your position.
12:03:23	TACA16	TACA16, posición aproxímente uno seis uno punto siete millas al directo sur de Denshire.	TACA16, approximate position one six one decimal seven millas directly south of Denshire.
12:03:32	ATC	Copia, TACA16. Notifica'l acercarse en uno uno tres punto zero al beinte minutos antes to llegar.	Copy TACA16. Notify approach on one one three decimal zero at twenty minutes before arrival.
12:03:40	TACA16	Contacta une uno tres punto zero beinte antes de llegar, TACA16.	Contact one one three decimal zero at twenty [minutes] before arrival, TACA16.
Four minutes pass without radio communication.
12:09:11	TACA16	TACA16, es – [estática inaudible] – mar – [estática inaudible] – pues.	TACA, is – [inaudible static] – sea – [inaudible static] – well.
12:09:23	ATC	TACA16, repite. No te garamos.	TACA16, repeat. We did not get you.
12:09:34	ATC	TACA16, contacta Denshire acercarse uno uno tres punto zero.	TACA16, contact Denshire approach one one three decimal zero.

Search and salvage

The flight path of TACA Flight 16.

After failing to respond to subsequent radio transmissions from air traffic control, TACA Flight 16 was declared missing at 12:45 p.m., thirty-six minutes after the final radio communication was made and twelve minutes after the aircraft was expected to arrive at Denshire. Both the Creeperian Navy and Creeperian Air Force were notified, both of which deployed ships and aircraft to search for the plane. News of the flight's disappearance was immediately reported by the Gaceta Creeperiano as the flight had popular Creeperian singer Guadeloupe Santos Santos and her brother on board, which placed public pressure on the military to find the wreckage. The search area covered a fifteen milla range around the aircraft's original flight path, but after two days of searching, nothing was found.

On 20 February, the first signs of wreckage were found approximately 57.56 millas southeast of Denshire at coordinates 47°10′07″S 44°43′12″W by a cargo ship traveling between Puerto Atlántida and Denshire. The identity of the ship is uncertain, but it is most likely to have been the MV Santo del Mar, operated by the National Coffee and Sugar Corporation (CORNACA). The ship recovered sixteen bodies from the wreckage, and the navy arrived on the scene by midday.

The navy confirmed that the wreckage found was that of TACA Flight 16 after comparing the serial numbers of various parts of the wreckage to those from the aircraft's maintenance logs. The navy's recovery operation lasted until 27 February after stating that all wreckage found on the surface had been recovered. No additional bodies were ever recovered. All forty-four people onboard the flight were declared to have died, including the twenty-eight whose bodies were never recovered, as the navy had stated that "no person could have survived alone in the sea for this long after such a crash."

Investigations

First DAVIM investigation

The initial investigation of the crash of TACA Flight 16 was conducted by the Imperial Aviation Directorate (DAVIM), a body which was a part of the Ministry of Transportation, and was led by retired air force Colonel Gustavo Herrador Menjívar. Representatives of both TACA, the aircraft's operator, and Maroto Botín, the aircraft's manufacturer, were also present during the investigation.

At the beginning of the investigation, Herrador Menjívar listed three things that the investigation had the determine:

• What caused the aircraft to crash?
• Why was radio communication with the aircraft severed?
• Why did the pilots not fly east in the case of an emergency, instead flying northwest, crashing 45 millas west of its intended flight path?

Government cover-up conspiracy theories

The lack of further government efforts to attempt to uncover the underwater wreckage of the flight has led to various conspiracy theorists claiming that the Creeperian government is covering-up the true reason of the crash, as the wreckage would likely hold the evidence needed to definitively solve why the flight crashed. Conspiracy theorists further claim that the only search ever conducted by the government as intentionally looking in the wrong location as to present to the public that they had not been able to locate the wreckage.

Legacy

Following the crash, the flight number of 16 was retired by TACA, and continues to be retired by the modern-day Creeperian Airlines. The flight was the deadliest in TACA's history until TACA Flight 1192 was hijacked and crashed by the SKBF in 1969 where 91 people were killed, and was the deadliest accident until TACA Flight 291 suffered an explosive decompression and subsequent structural failure in 1973 where 82 people died.

See also

Creeperopolis portal Terraconserva portal

• Creeperian Airlines Flight 1244, a flight which disappeared over the Caelean Sea and Alathlaslu Ocean in 2015