1995 Mexico City air show mid-air collision

1995 Mexico City air show mid-air collision

Northrop F-5E Tiger II similar to one of those involved in the accident
Aircraft collision in flight
Date	16 September 1995 (1995-09-16)
Summary	Mid-air collision of multiple aircraft
Site	Mexico City
Total fatalities	6
Total injuries	1
Total survivors	3
Aircraft
Aircraft type	1× Light fighter; 4× Trainer
Aircraft name	1× Northrop F-5E Tiger II; 4× Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star
Operator	Mexican Air Force
Registration	4003 (F-5); JE-009, JE-036, JE-049, JE-050 (T-33)
Flight origin	Santa Lucia Air Force Base
Destination	Santa Lucia Air Force Base
Crew	9
Fatalities	6
Injuries	1
Survivors	3

On 16 September 1995, five aircraft of the Mexican Air Force collided in mid-air during an air show display at a parade celebrating the 185th anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence. 6 of the 9 pilots involved died in the accident.

Events

During the military parade to celebrate the 185th anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence, among other aircraft, squadrons of Northrop F-5s and Lockheed T-33s participated, flying in their respective formations. At 11:44 a.m., the Northrop F-5E with the registration 4003 piloted by Captain Héctor Ricardo Trejo Flores hit the Lockheed T-33 with the registration JE-050 in flight, which was piloted by General Gonzalo Curiel García and Lieutenant Gustavo Enrique Pérez Estrada. This impact generated a chain reaction that caused the successive collision against the Lockheed T-33 with the registration JE-036 piloted by Major José Rivera Gutiérrez and Lieutenant Gerardo Ceballos Peraza, the Lockheed T-33 with the registration JE-009 and the Lockheed T-33 with the registration JE-049, this one piloted by Lieutenant Mario Humberto Sánchez García and Lieutenant Jorge Vergara Mogollón. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

JE-009 was lightly damaged and was able to return to the Santa Lucía Air Base with its crew unharmed, however, 4003, whose pilot ejected but did not survive, crashed in the Huixquilucan area. The rest of the aircraft crashed in Cuajimalpa, where only both pilots of JE-036 managed to eject, though one of them died. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Several factors were mentioned that could have caused the accident, from a route invasion by the T-33, flying at a lower altitude than ordered by the F-5 at the same time that the T-33 were flying above its corresponding altitude, and desynchronization during maneuvers.^{[ citation needed ]}

General Gonzalo Curiel García

One of those killed in said accident, General Gonzalo Curiel, supposedly maintained friendly ties with the drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, as he introduced his son as his nephew to allow him to board a FAM helicopter during the parade; additionally, the night before he had reportedly attended an event in Carillo's house. Curiel was also the director of public security of Guadalajara, a flight instructor of the Air College and the commander of the Military Air Base No. 4 of Cozumel, after which he became the commander of the Military Air Base No. 2 of Ixtepec, a position he held at the time of his death. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Currently, the Mascota Airport in the state of Jalisco bears his name. ^[8]

References

1. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55161". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
2. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55154". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
3. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55159". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
4. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 55160". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
5. Villa, Soledad (16 September 2022). "Lo que no sabías de los peores accidentes del desfile militar del 16 de septiembre" [What you didn't know about the worst accidents of the September 16 military parade] (in Spanish). Independent en español. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
6. "Servía al narco el general muerto en el desfile del 16 de septiembre de 95" [The general who died in the parade on September 16, 1995 served the drug trafficker] (in Spanish). La Jornada. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
7. "El general y su "sobrino Amado"" [The general and his "beloved nephew"] (in Spanish). Proceso. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
8. Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (4 July 2022). "Base de Datos de Aeródromos y Helipuertos" [Airfields and Heliports Database] (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2023.