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Accidents · NTSB DCA09WA044 · Final report

Mcdonnell Douglas MD88 incident near Trelew, Ar, March 25, 2009

On March 25, 2009, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD88, registered LVVBZ, was involved in an incident near Trelew. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 71 people were on board or involved.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 25, 2009
Place
Trelew, Argentina
Type
Incident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 71 people were on board or involved.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Mcdonnell Douglas MD88
Registration
LVVBZ · no longer on the register
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

On March 25, 2009, an Aerolineas Argentinas SA MD-88, registration LV-VBZ, experienced smoke/fumes in the cabin and diverted to Almirante Zar Airport, Trelew, Argentina. There were no injuries to the 71 people onboard. The flight was enroute from Jorge Newbery Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina, to El Calafate Airport, Calafate, Argentina.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: retractable

The flight

  • Departed from: SAAE
  • Destination: SAWC
  • Flight plan: not recorded

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Cabi5
Flight crew2
Passengers64

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.