Tegucigalpa Plane Crash

Yesterday we were made aware of the fact that a Taca airline jet had crashed "in our backyard". Tegucigalpa has one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Due to a short runway, high elevation and mountains surrounding the landing strip, only experienced pilots can land here. Yesterday however the pilot evidently didn't have the required experience. He was bringing a flight of passengers from El Salvador. When he landed, he landed "half way" down the airstrip. That wasn't near enough space to stop the plane. It shot through a fence, down over a cliff and landed over a nearby highway smashing several cars. Immediatly it was panic and chaos. The pilot was killed, along with the wife of the Brazilian ambassador, the president of one of the banks and a passenger in one of the cars below.

Hannah and I made our way down to the wreck site. By the time we arrived they had evacuated all the passengers and there was a relative calm. We stood about eight feet away from the cockpit and peered inside and saw the daily newspaper bloodied from the pilot who had died. It was an eerie sight.

We watched as firemen and military personnel worked on freeing some of the smashed vehicles trapped underneath the wreckage. Nobody ever thinks a plane could hit your car. Can you imagine what a shock it must have been to see a jetliner come crashing off the hill and smash your car? It's a reminder that life is short and anything can happen. It pays to live ready.