2011 Chilean Air Force C-212 crash

On 2 September 2011, a CASA C-212 Aviocar military transport of the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACH) on a flight from Santiago to Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile, crashed into the sea while manoeuvring to land. All 21 passengers and crew on board were killed.

The aircraft was transporting a crew from Chile's national TV, and among the victims were presenter Felipe Camiroaga and journalist Roberto Bruce.

Accident

The aircraft was on a relief flight in support of operations in the wake of the 2010 Chile earthquake. It was operated by the 10th Transport Group of the Chilean Air Force. It departed from the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago at 13:52 local time (16:52 UTC), bound for Robinson Crusoe Airport, with four crew members and seventeen passengers on board.

The flight lasted almost three hours, hampered by adverse weather and strong winds. On arriving over the airfield, the plane overflew the entire runway and positioned itself for a landing in the opposite direction. However, due to strong crosswinds, the approach was discontinued and the twin-engine went around for a second attempt.

At 16:48, personnel at the airfield observed the aircraft performing a wide turn at low altitude; it then disappeared from view behind a hill without re-emerging. The C-212 had crashed into the sea between Robinson Crusoe and Santa Clara islands, killing all on board.

Local fishermen and inhabitants later found the bodies of a man and two women floating in the sea. On 7 September, four more bodies were recovered. The accident was the deadliest suffered by the FACH since 1977, and the second deadliest accident in FACH history.