All 22 people onboard a SOL LINEAS AEREAS Saab 340A were killed last evening when their aircraft crashed near Los Menucos, RN, Argentina. Flight 5428 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Cordoba to Comodoro Rivadavia, with scheduled stops in Mendoza and Neuquen. The Saab completed service from Cordoba to Mendoza and Neuquen without incident and departed Neuquen for Comodoro Rivadavia with 19 passengers and 3 crew members onboard at 8:05pm. Scheduled flying time was 1 hour and 50 minutes. Around 8:45pm to 8:50pm, while enroute near Los Menucos, the Pilot declared an emergency and disappeared from radar moments later. Police in Los Menucos were notified by ATC within minutes and given the coordinates of where Flight 5428 disppeared from radar. According to media reports, minutes after the police were notified by ATC, a local resident called, reporting he had seen a "ball of fire descend from the skies". Another resident reported an "explosion in the sky". The disentegrated wreckage of the Saab, registration LV-CEJ and pictured above 3 weeks ago, was found about 25km from Los Menucos. There were no survivors. According to media reports, the flight crew had been in contact with ATC, before declaring an emergency, with requests to descend due to icing. Argentina's National Meteorologic Services had issued a significant weather warning last evening for the control zone of Comodoro Rivadara, including the accident site, for severe icing between 7000 and 18000 feet, with turbulence below 15000 feet. Argentina's Accident Investigation Board has been dispatched to the scene and will conduct a full investigation. This is the 1st accident recorded for SOL Lineas Aereas, which was established in 2005.
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