FLIGHT FINDINGSAVIATION OCCURRENCE MAP
Back to map

Aeroméxico Flight 229

20 Jun 1973 · Near Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Aeromexico McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 · Controlled flight into terrain

From George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX)

Report a problem

Event

Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
Accident
Event fatalities
27 · all aircraft and ground
Ground fatalities
Unknown
Occupants
27
Survivors
0
InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
Unknown
OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
Airline

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15

Flight
AM229
Category
Airplane · from aircraft type
RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
XA-SOC
Operator
Aeroméxico
Onboard fatalities
27
Route
From George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)To Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX)

Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.

From the Wikipedia article

Aeroméxico Flight 229 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 that crashed into the side of a mountain while on approach to Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on 20 June 1973. There were no survivors among the 27 passengers and crew.

Accident

The accident aircraft was on a passenger flight from Houston-Intercontinental Airport (now George Bush Intercontinental Airport) in Houston, Texas to Mexico City International Airport via Monterrey International Airport in Monterrey, Mexico, and Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta. The aircraft was nearing Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz airport when the flight was cleared for approach and landing on runway 04. At 22:47, during the approach, the aircraft flew into the side of Las Minas Mountain, 20 mi SSE of the Puerto Vallarta airport. The aircraft broke up and caught fire, killing all 27 passengers and crew. Alejandro Rojano, the air traffic controller on duty, reported the aircraft missing to the main offices of RAMSA in Mexico City at 22:50. Following an investigation, it was determined that the pilot had failed to sufficiently reduce the aircraft's speed during the descent procedure.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Aeroméxico Flight 229” (revision 1360625643, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article

Sources

Wikipedia article: Aeroméxico Flight 229
Article
Aeroméxico Flight 229
Revision
1360625643 · 2026-06-22 · retrieved 2026-09-18
Wikidata
Q4688341
Licence
Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
Record
Wikipedia article "Aeroméxico Flight 229" (page 26952735, revision 1360625643)
Date
Wikipedia infobox: date
Place and country
Wikipedia infobox: site
Map position
Wikipedia article coordinates
Aircraft, operator and route
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
Operation
airline flight number in the infobox
Fatalities
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
Ground fatalities
not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
Summary
Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
  • Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.