Countdown to Collision: The crash of LATAM Perú flight 2213
On the 18th of November 2022, a routine airport firefighting exercise at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Perú went horribly wrong when a speeding fire truck slammed into a departing LATAM Perú Airbus A320, sending the airliner sliding down the runway in flames. As stunned firefighters rushed to respond, the 108 occupants aboard LATAM flight 2213 hurriedly evacuated the burning aircraft under the calm command of both the air crew and the fire crew, who maintained their professionalism under pressure despite the shock of the crash. In the end, although 9 passengers were seriously injured and the plane was a write-off, everyone aboard flight 2213 escaped with their lives. The firefighters, however, were not so lucky: of the three personnel on board the demolished truck, two were declared dead on the scene, and the third would eventually succumb to his injuries after a 7-month hospital battle.
Now, one year after a tragedy that shook the airport fire rescue community, the release of the final report on the accident has illuminated a series of organizational and communications breakdowns that led to the crash, building up through meetings and telephone calls in the days, hours, and minutes before the chain of events reached its fiery crescendo. The findings prove that the accident was much more complex than anyone initially realized, reaching far beyond the simple question of who had permission to enter the runway. Instead, the crash presents a case study in how the failure to disseminate information within and between organizations can lay the groundwork for disaster, while also conveying lessons for all of us about how we should — and shouldn’t — behave when we begin to suspect that we don’t know what’s going on.
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