Flight 1196 Flight 1196 took off from Miami International Airport at 4:10 PM local time, with 61 passengers and 9 crew members on board. The flight proceeded uneventfully until it approached Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport. As the aircraft descended towards Lima, the flight crew received conflicting altitude clearances from the air traffic control (ATC) tower. The ATC initially cleared the flight to descend to 10,000 feet, but shortly after, they amended the clearance to 9,000 feet. However, due to a misunderstanding or miscommunication, the flight crew believed they were cleared to descend to 6,000 feet. At 9:13 PM local time, while the aircraft was still at around 10,000 feet, it collided with a mountain called Cerro San Cristobal, located about 16 miles east of Lima's airport. The impact was catastrophic, and the aircraft broke apart on impact, killing all 70 people on board instantly. The investigation into the accident, conducted by the Peruvian Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) with the assistance of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States, revealed several contributing factors to the crash. First, the ATC's conflicting altitude clearances and the flight crew's misunderstanding of the clearance they received were significant factors. The investigation found that the ATC's communication with the flight crew was inadequate and that the crew failed to confirm the correct altitude before descending. Second, the aircraft's altitude alerting system, which should have warned the flight crew that they were descending too early, was found to be inoperative. The investigation found that the system had been disabled during maintenance and that the maintenance personnel had failed to reactivate it before the flight. The crash of Flight 1196 had a profound impact on Aeroperú and the aviation industry as a whole. The airline implemented several safety measures, including improved communication protocols, enhanced training programs, and the installation of TAWS on all its aircraft. The accident also led to stricter regulations regarding the maintenance and operation of aircraft, particularly in mountainous regions. In conclusion, the crash of Flight 1196 was a tragic accident that resulted from a combination of factors, including communication errors, maintenance oversights, and inadequate safety measures. The accident highlighted the importance of effective communication, proper maintenance, and the need for advanced safety systems in aviation. Flight 1196 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by Aeroperú, the flag carrier airline of Peru at the time. The flight, which was supposed to be a routine trip from Miami, Florida, to Santiago, Chile, with a stopover in Lima, Peru, turned into a tragedy on October 2, 1996. The aircraft operating the flight was a Boeing 757-200, registered as N52AW, which had undergone routine maintenance and was deemed airworthy before departure. The flight crew consisted of Captain Eric Schreiber, who had over 11,000 hours of flying experience, and First Officer David Fernández, who had around 5,000 hours of flying experience. Flight 1196 took off from Miami International Airport at 4:10 PM local time, with 61 passengers and 9 crew members on board. The flight proceeded uneventfully until it approached Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport. As the aircraft descended towards Lima, the flight crew received conflicting altitude clearances from the air traffic control (ATC) tower. The ATC initially cleared the flight to descend to 10,000 feet, but shortly after, they amended the clearance to 9,000 feet. However, due to a misunderstanding or miscommunication, the flight crew believed they were cleared to descend to 6,000 feet. At 9:13 PM local time, while the aircraft was still at around 10,000 feet, it collided with a mountain called Cerro San Cristobal, located about 16 miles east of Lima's airport. The impact was catastrophic, and the aircraft broke apart on impact, killing all 70 people on board instantly. Second, the aircraft's altitude alerting system, which should have warned the flight crew that they were descending too early, was found to be inoperative. The investigation found that the system had been disabled during maintenance and that the maintenance personnel had failed to reactivate it before the flight. Third, the mountainous terrain around Lima's airport and the lack of proper terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS) on the aircraft were also contributing factors. The investigation found that the absence of TAWS, which could have warned the flight crew of the impending collision, was a significant shortcoming. The crash of Flight 1196 had a profound impact on Aeroperú and the aviation industry as a whole. The airline implemented several safety measures, including improved communication protocols, enhanced training programs, and the installation of TAWS on all its aircraft. The accident also led to stricter regulations regarding the maintenance and operation of aircraft, particularly in mountainous regions.