Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 accident near Guatemala City, Gt, December 21, 1999
On December 21, 1999, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30, registered FGTDI, was destroyed in an accident near Guatemala City. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 16 people were killed, 10 people were seriously injured and 27 people had minor injuries; 261 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1999
- Place
- Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 16 people were killed, 10 people were seriously injured and 27 people had minor injuries; 261 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- FGTDI · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: Havana OF
- Destination: MGGT OF
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:40 pm from MGG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| Passengers | 8 | 9 | 21 | 258 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.