| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| Summary: | Engine failure on takeoff |
| Site: | Near Eloy Alfaro International Airport, Manta, Ecuador |
| Total Fatalities: | 34 |
| Total Injuries: | 50 |
| Aircraft Type: | Boeing 707-323C |
| Operator: | Millon Air |
| Origin: | Eloy Alfaro International Airport, Manta, Ecuador |
| Destination: | Miami International Airport |
| Passengers: | 1 |
| Crew: | 3 |
| Fatalities: | 4 |
| Survivors: | 0 |
| Plane1 Occupants: | 4 |
| Ground Fatalities: | 30 |
| Ground Injuries: | 50 |
Millon Air Flight 406 was an international cargo flight from Manta, Ecuador, to Miami, Florida that crashed on October 22, 1996. The Boeing 707-323C crashed shortly after takeoff from Manta Airport, killing all four people on board and 30 more people on the ground.[1] [2] [3]
The Boeing 707-323C (N751MA) involved in the accident was built in 1967 with serial number 19582 and was delivered to American Airlines on October 27. It was sold to Millon Air in October 1989. N751MA was involved in at least two previous incidents. The first was in 1995, when an engine failed 35 minutes after takeoff.[4] On February 22, about eight months before the accident, the plane lost hydraulic fluid while en route from Manus, Brazil to Miami. The aircraft landed at Miami International Airport with its nose landing gear retracted.[5] [6] According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the aircraft was in poor condition with corrosion and cracks.
The aircraft was crewed by captain Erwin Roedenbeck, who had been working for Millon Air for three years and was also qualified as a flight instructor, first officer Hendrick Ripoll, and flight engineer Ernesto Enciso. A loadmaster was also on board. Flight 406 was loaded with cargo, including frozen fish.[7] [8]
At 21:44 CDT, Flight 406 took off from Runway 23. The aircraft quickly lost altitude and struck the La Dolorosa Catholic church's bell tower. The aircraft then crashed into a residential area near the airport and exploded, scattered debris over dozens of homes. The accident killed all four people on board along with at least 24 (or 30) people on the ground, including a priest from the church. 50 people were also injured.
Ecuador's Civil Aviation Authority investigated the accident with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney. Investigators ultimately determined that the cause of the accident was an engine failure.
Miami-based Millon Air has had several maintenance violations in the past. The airlines received issued more than 50 warnings from the FAA in the past 10 years and has paid $49,000 in fines since 1984. A year earlier, a Douglas DC-8-54F leased to Faucet Perú crashed in Guatemala City, killing six people. After the accident, Millon Air ceased operations voluntarily.[9]