On August 24, 2008, an Aéreo Ruta Maya

Cessna Caravan 208 The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...

carrying 10

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

aid workers, two

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

n aid agency representatives, pilot and copilot en route from

La Aurora International Airport La Aurora International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora, ) serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located south of Guatemala City's center and from Antigua Guatemala. It is administered by the Dirección General de Aeronáut ...

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...

El Estor El Estor is a town, with a population of 20,489 (2018 census), and a municipality in the Izabal department of Guatemala. The population of El Estor consists largely of Q’eqchi’ speaking indigenous people. History Before roads and railroads ...

, crashed 45 minutes after takeoff. The crash killed all occupants but three aid workers. One of the survivors was

Dan Liljenquist Daniel R. Liljenquist (born July 10, 1974) is an American businessman and politician who served one term in the Utah State Senate. Early life and education Born in Nashville to Dr. John E. Liljenquist and Colleen Redford Liljenquist, he spent ...

, an American businessman and politician. The aircraft went down in a field 60 miles east of Guatemala City after the pilot reported an

engine failure A turbine engine failure occurs when a turbine engine unexpectedly stops producing power due to a malfunction other than fuel exhaustion. It often applies for aircraft, but other turbine engines can fail, like ground-based turbines used in power ...

and was attempting an emergency landing. The aid workers were members of Choice Humanitarian, a

West Jordan, Utah West Jordan is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is a suburb of Salt Lake City and has a mixed economy. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 116,961, placing it as the third most populous in the state. T ...

based humanitarian group on their way to the village of Sepamac.

References

* J. Lara, E. Paxtor, G. Palencia
"Mueren 10 en accidente aéreo"
(in Spanish) 25 August 2008 * Associated Pres
"5 Americans Die In Guatemala Plane Crash"
CBSNews 25 August 2008

CNN 25 August 2008
"Americans die in Guatemala crash"
BBCNews 25 August 2008 * Associated Pres

NEWYorkTimes

External links

Aéreo Ruta Maya S.A.
(official site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aereo Ruta Maya Crash, 2008 Accidents and incidents by airline of South America Aero Ruta Maya crash Aviation accidents and incidents in Guatemala Aero Ruta Maya crash Accidents and incidents involving the Cessna 208 Caravan August 2008 events in North America