Airbus A320 incident near Mexico City, Mx, January 24, 2020
On January 24, 2020 at about 3:25 am local time, a Airbus A320, registered N528VL, was involved in an incident during initial climb near Mexico City. It was flown under rules the NTSB did not record. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- January 24, 2020 · about 3:25 am local time
- Place
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320 271N · all A320s on the register
- Registration
- N528VL · registry record · serial 7051
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 24, 2020, an Airbus A320-271N neo, powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW1127G-JM geared turbofan engines, experienced a right (No. 2) engine failure while climbing through 11,500 feet after takeoff from the Mexico City Intentional Airport (MMMX). The airplane returned to MMMX where an uneventful landing was made; no injuries were reported to the passengers or crew. Post flight inspection found that the low pressure turbine stage 3 blades on the No. 2 engine were all fractured at various lengths. The Mexican Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) is conduction an Annex 13 investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board is participation as the State of Manufactured and Design of the engines.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during initial climb defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PW1127GA-JM (gtfn); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PW1127GA-JM (gtfn); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MMMX Mexico City
- Destination: MMTJ Tijuana
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.