Mexican Govt Lear crashes in Mexico City

[Kip Powick]

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- An engine fell off a Mexican government jet before it crashed, killing the second-highest official in the nation, the Cabinet member in charge of the investigation said Saturday.

The scene of Tuesday night's plane crash in Mexico City was one of panic and confusion, a witness says.

2 of 2 Officials also said they have ruled out the possibility that the crash was caused by a bomb.

"There is no trace of explosives on the plane wreckage or the [crash] site," said Luis Tellez, Mexican secretary of communication and transportation.

Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, former deputy attorney general Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and six others onboard were killed in the crash. At least five others on the ground died, and others were reported missing. Officials said 40 people were injured.

Camilo Mourino and Santiago Vasconcelos had been instrumental in the war on drugs, leading to widespread speculation among Mexicans that drug lords orchestrated the crash. But Mexican authorities have said there is no indication that foul play was involved.

The government Learjet 45 was traveling at 500 kmh (310 mph) when it crashed in central Mexico City as it approached Benito Juarez International Airport.

Gilberto Lopez Meyer, Mexico's director of airports and auxiliary services, said the jet's left engine fell off when the plane was traveling between 250 and 300 kmh (150 to 186 mph), according to Mexico's state-run Notimex news agency.

An examination of the wreckage indicates that the engines were functioning at high speed, Lopez Meyer said.

Tallez said the day after the crash that the Learjet 45 did not explode in the air because when that happens, pieces of the airplane are scattered over a wide area. But the wreckage in this instance was limited to a small area, he said.

Tellez also said Wednesday that the pilot did not report an emergency, Notimex said.

A recording released Wednesday of what Mexican officials said was dialogue between the pilot and the airport control tower did not appear to have an emergency call from the aircraft.

Officials have vowed to make all aspects of the investigation public.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon inspected the crash site Saturday, Notimex said.

[ChicoChico]

Wait a minute - An examination of the wreckage indicates that the engines were functioning at high speed and yet one fell off???

[sustainable]

Still though... It had to be moving at a fair clip.

[Kip Powick]

That initial post is the ony one that mentions an engine falling off. All other articles on the net just say it crashed, Here is a snippet fronm another article.(My embolding and underlining

But as rumors surfaced on media Web sites throughout the day, officials tried to head them off. The radar images and recordings released by aviation officials indicated what appeared to be a routine landing approach. To the sound of the exchange between controller and pilot, the dots on the radar showed the jet and other planes preparing for their approach to Mexico City’s airport, moving on their planned course. Then suddenly, with no warning from the pilot, the jet disappeared from the radar. The controller asked for a response from the plane and heard nothing.

Mr. Téllez said that President Felipe Calderón had ordered the extraordinary release of the radar images and the recordings. In a country where a long history of government secrecy has allowed conspiracy theories to quickly become conventional wisdom, Mr. Calderón’s administration wanted to offer assurance that the investigation would be transparent.

In response to questions, Mr. Téllez dismissed speculation that the plane was too old to fly, and that it was too close to a commercial jet that was in front of it and that the pilot had veered off course and made an emergency call. Mr. Téllez called for patience, recalling that it took a month and a half to investigate a Spanair crash at the Madrid airport in August.

But few Mexicans seemed confident that the government would tell the truth about the cause of the crash. “Look, in the past the government has covered up things this big, and I don’t doubt that they will this time,” said Rocío Flores, 33, a student. “If the narcos killed Mouriño and the other guy, the truth is, who knows if the people will find out.”

United States investigators have been called in to help. Two investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration who were already in Mexico on other business began working at the crash site on Tuesday night. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a three-person team, and analysts from a specialized evidence team will also help, the United States Embassy said.

Britain sent three investigators, and Learjet sent its own team.

The government was clearly worried about how the speculation would affect Mexico’s financial markets, already weakened by the global financial crisis. Finance Minister Agustín Carstens made the rounds of morning radio shows to argue that Mr. Mouriño’s death should not have any effect on the markets.

[Kip Powick]

Changing his tune now.................one should not offer opinions about 'causes' until an investigation comes up with real evidence.....especially if one holds a government position

Originally he said.......(04 November)........Mr. Téllez dismissed speculation that the plane was too old to fly, and that it was too close to a commercial jet that was in front of it.

Now he says........(14 November).........The Lear jet that crashed on landing last week in Mexico City, killing all aboard, including Mexico's interior minister, may have been felled by the turbulence from a large passenger jet it was following too closely, the nation's transportation secretary said Friday, citing results of a preliminary investigation.

Radar tapes show that the Lear 45 -- carrying three crew members and six passengers from San Luis Potosi -- was flying just 4.15 nautical miles behind a Boeing 767-300 at 6:45 p.m. November 4, Luis Tellez said.