Inter Austral Flight 2306

Inter Austral Flight 2306 was a domestic flight in Argentina from Córdoba to Mendoza. On 9 August 1995, the CASA CN-235-200 suffered from a rear door failure mid-flight, sucking out a flight attendant named Lilián Almada to her death, while the remaining occupants survived and the plane landed safely. Following the accident, Inter Austral ceased its operation in 1996 due to safety flaws.

Accident

On the afternoon, the 20 year old CASA CN-235-200 took off from Córdoba. Sixteen minutes after takeoff, as soon as the plane reached 4000 m, a loud bang was heard, the rear door opened mid-flight. Lilián was preparing food for passenger when it happened, so she was ejected off the plane. A passenger in the last seat had not fastened his seatbelt yet, and he struggled to hold as it happened. The pilots were unawared of the situation as the door warning system did not activated, until a passenger banged the door. They decided to return back to Córdoba. Passengers experienced strong forces and were stunned by the scenario, even after they landed.

Lilián's body was found two days after the accident. The autopsy revealed that she lost consciousness immediately after the ejection.

The occupants admitted that the door-locking mechanism had been experiencing constant failures. The issues were only improvised by placing a cardboard on the edge or secure it with chains. At that flight, Lilián struggled to close the door.