1982 IAI Arava 201 crash
Fuerza Aérea Sandinista IAI Arava 201 · Engine failure on takeoff leading to loss of control
From Augusto C. Sandino (Managua) International Airport (MGA) to an unrecorded destination
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
- 20 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 22
- Survivors
- 2
- 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
- 2
- 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
- Military
IAI Arava 201
- Aircraft type
- Iai Arava 201
- 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
- 223
- Operator
- Fuerza Aérea Sandinista
- Onboard fatalities
- 20
- Route
- From Augusto C. Sandino (Managua) International Airport (MGA)To not recorded
Cause areas
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant
- Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
On 14 August 1982, an IAI Arava 201 operated by the Nicaraguan Air Force crashed shortly after takeoff from Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua, Nicaragua. The aircraft went down near the airport and resulted in the deaths of 20 of the 22 people on board.
Among the causualties were former Sandinista guerrilla commander Marcos Somarriba, who served as the Deputy Minister for Development and two Cuban advisers to the National Census Institute.
The accident was at the time the worst Sandinista air force accident.
Background
The aircraft was an Israeli-built twin-engine IAI Arava used for military transport. It was operated by the Fuerza Aérea Sandinista and was reportedly carrying military personnel and medical supplies on a mission to the northern part of the country.
There were two crewmembers on board. The pilot was Lt. Henry Tablada Ruiz and co-pilot Abdul Sirkin Gomez.
The incident occurred in the context of ongoing military operations in Zelaya Norte, where increased use of aviation had been deemed necessary. Authorities emphasized that flight missions were carried out under difficult conditions due to the demands of the conflict.
Flight summary
The aircraft took off from Managua in the morning at 8:45am-8:50am and crashed shortly after departure while in its initial climb. It titled to the left and reportedly banked and went down approximately 150 metres from the runway, 300 yards from El Rodeo, a residential area close to Augusto C. Sandino International Airport.
Witnesses reported that pilot did everything he could to avoid a El Rodeao. That went fairly well while the aircraft struck houses before exploding. Two occupants survived the initial crash, while the remaining passengers and crew were killed.
Investigation and cause
Cause
The cause of the crash according to the official communique was engine failure. According to Sandinista authorities, the accident was caused by a mechanical failure that led to loss of control of the aircraft. Officials attributed the failure to a lack of spare parts, limited technical resources, and broader economic constraints affecting aircraft maintenance during the period.
Text from the Wikipedia article “1982 IAI Arava 201 crash” (revision 1352151651, 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: 1982 IAI Arava 201 crash
- Article
- 1982 IAI Arava 201 crash
- Revision
- 1352151651 · 2026-05-02 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q139023439
- 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 "1982 IAI Arava 201 crash" (page 82707200, revision 1352151651)
- 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
- operator named as an armed force or military unit 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.