On July 27, 1981, Aeroméxico Flight 230, operating a domestic passenger flight within Mexico, experienced a hard landing and runway excursion at Chihuahua International Airport. Thirty-two people were killed in the accident.
While the plane was descending, heavy winds caused the plane to bounce upon touchdown. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, subsequently skidded off the runway, catching fire, and trapping around half of those on the plane.
Background The aircraft involved was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, registered as XA-DEN with MSN 47621/729. At the time of the crash, it was 7 years old.
Accident The flight was uneventful until landing at Chihuahua. There were isolated cumulonimbus clouds with strong squalls and showers during approach and landing. This was compounded by extremely low visibility. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced once and struck the ground with immense force. The aircraft then slid off the runway, broke up and caught fire. Thirty-four passengers and crew were able to flee the wreckage; the smoke and fire caused the deaths of those that remained trapped.
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