Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553
LV-WEG, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1995 with a previous livery | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 October 1997 |
| Summary | Loss of control in-flight for disputed reasons |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Operator | Austral Líneas Aéreas |
| IATA flight No. | AU2553 |
| ICAO flight No. | AUT2553 |
| Call sign | AUSTRAL 2553 |
| Registration | LV-WEG |
| Flight origin | Libertador General José de San Martín Airport, Posadas, Argentina |
| Destination | Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Occupants | 74 |
| Passengers | 69 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 74 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553 was an Argentine domestic scheduled passenger flight from Posadas to Buenos Aires. On October 10, 1997, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 that was operating the flight crashed on the lands of Estancia Magallanes, Nuevo Berlín, 32 kilometres (20 mi; 17 nmi) away from Fray Bentos, Uruguay. All 74 passengers and crew died upon impact. The accident remains the deadliest in Uruguayan history.