British Tourist Killed in Angel Falls Crash

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delmarwilliams
delmarwilliams

I am in South America, and I was thinking about going to Angel Falls, but I've read on some other websites that most planes that fly there aren't regulated or inspected. How often do these crashes occur?? Are they infrequent or all too common????

Are there any companies which are known to be safety conscious.

Thanks.

Delmar

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8006100.stm
Boy dies in Venezuela plane crash

The boy and his family had been travelling to Angel Falls
A British boy has died and eight other UK nationals have been injured in a plane crash in Venezuela, the Foreign Office said.

Thomas Horne, six, was killed and his parents were injured in the crash near the runway in the tourist destination of Canaima.

British Embassy staff are at the hospital in Cuidad Bolivar where the eight injured Britons have been taken.

The small Cessna plane came down shortly after take-off on Friday.

But news of the crash only emerged on Saturday.

Edited by: DelmarWilliams

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mason101
mason101

Single engine ´avioneta´ planes are notorious for dropping from the skies like autumn leaves off the trees throughout South America.

Many instances are not reported in detail or confirmed and the aircraft are simply reported as ´missing´, having crashed (presumably) in jungle or mountain regions where radio contact with air traffic control is unreliable.

Hardly a week goes by without some incident or other being reported (briefly).

There are no guarantees unfortunately. It´s a fact of life here.

You pays your money, and you takes your chances.

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snoj
snoj

Yes maybe, but almost all air travel is safer than road travel. All air crashes get some media coverage . A road crash has to be a ripper to get anything in the international media.
In a lot of places air travel can't be avoided.
Just take your brave pills and get on with it.

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kerplew
kerplew

I posted a week ago about donating medical supplies in Canaima, and this crash only highlights how important it is that travelers help the community there. If you're (still) planning a trip to Angel Falls, the medical donations you bring will definitely help the people who live there, and may even save your life.

Everyone who was in the airport helped, and the only doctor in the park was in the area by chance, thank God. He came out to help when he saw the plane go down.

Edited by: Kerplew

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guyfromrio
guyfromrio

I took a similar flight, with a small 5 seater cessna plane, from Ciudad Bolivar to Canaima, last July. The plane did not seem in good shape at all.. the flight is a bit scarry and bumpy, but very worthwhile.

I can easily imagine that accidents like this are not rare on this route...

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visionof
visionof

I have been on the angel falls trip, I flew with first choice who use larger planes compared to the small ones used by smaller companies, therefore you dont get to fly so close to the waterfall nor the rocks down below. I think I would have been scared in one of the smaller propellor planes as they really do get too close and low down. Obviously it was one of the those freak accidents that happened.

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