The Aerodiana sightseeing flight lost contact with air traffic control shortly after take-off from Pisco in Peru. Severe weather is now suspected as a possible cause of the crash that killed all 13 people on board.
Seven Italian tourists were among the 13 victims of a tourist plane crash in southern Peru, according to local press reports.
The aircraft had taken off a few minutes earlier from Pisco’s María Reiche airport, bound for the famous archaeological site of Nazca, carrying several European tourists, when it lost contact with air traffic control. Thirteen people were killed in total, according to initial reports: 11 tourists, a pilot and a tour guide. Alongside the seven Italians, two Spaniards and two Germans also died. The Italian Embassy in Lima said it is in contact with Peruvian authorities over the incident.
The crash occurred shortly before 1pm local time on Saturday, 8pm Italian time. The exact cause remains unclear, but investigators are increasingly focused on the possibility that severe weather played a role. Strong winds have battered the region in recent hours, bringing violent gusts that have felled trees, damaged infrastructure, caused traffic accidents, and led to the temporary suspension of air operations in several provinces.
Bound for the Nazca Lines
The plane, operated by Aerodiana, was en route to Nazca for a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines, one of Peru’s most famous archaeological sites. The lines comprise more than 13,000 individual markings etched into the ground, forming around 800 distinct drawings, including stylised depictions of animals native to the region — whales, parrots, lizards over 180 metres long, hummingbirds, condors, and a giant spider roughly 45 metres in length.
William Acosta, an inspector with Peru’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), said experts from Lima would shortly arrive at the crash site to begin the investigation. Officials confirmed the impact with the ground was extremely violent, with no survivors.
César Martínez Elías, a member of the Nazca fire department, told local media that the aircraft involved was a Cessna Caravan 201B.
