Overview
- A Cessna 208 Caravan operated by Aerodiana crashed in the Socos/Pueblo Viejo area near Nazca on Saturday during a sightseeing flight, and the wreckage caught fire so there were no survivors.
- All 13 people on board died: 11 passengers who were foreign tourists (seven Italians, two Spaniards and two Germans) and two Peruvian crew members identified by authorities.
- Officials say the pilot reported a mechanical emergency before radio contact was lost, and Peru’s civil aviation and accident investigation bodies plus the Public Prosecutor’s Office are treating mechanical failure as a leading hypothesis while weather is also being reviewed.
- Forensic teams have recovered charred remains and are carrying out DNA tests, dental checks and anthropological analysis to identify victims, and diplomats from the affected countries are being notified and assisted by Peruvian authorities.
- The crash has prompted Aerodiana to cooperate with investigators and led officials to review flight operations from Pisco and María Reiche airfields, raising fresh safety scrutiny of small sightseeing flights over the Nazca Lines after past deadly accidents.