2024 Pasaquina Bell UH-1 crash

The Aircraft was an Bell UH-1 Iroquois, operated by the Salvadoran Air Force, that was flying from Choluteca to San Salvador.{{Cite web |last=Avelar |first=Bryan |date=9 September 2024 |title=Muere el director de la Policía de El Salvador en un accidente aéreo |url=https://elpais.com/america/2024-09-09/muere-el-director-de-la-policia-de-el-salvador-en-un-accidente-aereo.html |access-date=10 September 2024 |website=El País América |language=es}}

{{Main article|Mauricio Arriaza Chicas}}

The aircraft was transporting the police chief Mauricio Arriaza Chicas,{{Cite web |title=Estas son las nueve víctimas del accidente aéreo en Pasaquina, La Unión |url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/fallecido-accidentes-aereos-victimas-de-pasaquina-la-union-norte-pnc-fuerza-armada/1167308/2024/ |access-date=10 September 2024 |website=Noticias de El Salvador |language=es}} alongside him was Manuel Coto, a former bank manager accused of embezzlement, who had been detained and extradited on that same day in the Honduras–Nicaragua border.{{Cite web |last=Flores |first=Javier |title=Honduras lo entregó a El Salvador y minutos después murió en accidente aéreo |url=https://www.laprensa.hn/sucesos/manuel-coto-exgerente-cosovi-capturado-honduras-entrega-el-salvador-muerte-accidente-helicoptero-DB21317488 |access-date=10 September 2024 |website=www.laprensa.hn |language=es-HN}} There were also four police officers, including deputy police commanders Douglas Omar García Funes and Rómulo Pompilio Romero Torres, and three air force personnel on board, as well as the head of communication for the Security Cabinet.

The aircraft departed around 20:00 local time, from Choluteca, Honduras. Witnesses reported that the aircraft started to fly in an unstable condition until it finally crashed in the Pasaquina municipality minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board.{{Cite web |title="Ese muchacho luchó para no caer": Testigo habla sobre piloto del accidente en El Salvador |url=https://www.elheraldo.hn/mundo/testigo-habla-sobre-piloto-accidente-la-union-el-salvador-AC21324589 |access-date=10 September 2024 |website=www.elheraldo.hn |language=es-HN}}

The Salvadoran Air Force and the National Transportation Safety Board studied the crash immediately, it was concluded that the cause of the crash, was spatial disorientation during bad weather.{{Cite web |last=Alemán |first=Uveli |date=2025-01-04 |title=Accidente de helicóptero que arrebató vida del director policial fue causada por clima, mala visibilidad y reducción de altitud, dice investigación |url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/nacionales/investigacion-concluye-que-accidente-de-helicoptero-que-arrebato-vida-del-director-policial-fue-por-problemas-operativos |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Diario El Mundo |language=es}} This was because the pilot reduced the altitude trying to recover visibility until it finally lost control and crashed.

Immediately, the witnesses of the crash praised the pilot, for trying to save the aircraft. The only part of the aircraft that was left intact was the empennage.{{Cite web |title=Video: Así encontraron el helicóptero que trasladaba a Mauricio Arriaza y tripulantes |url=https://www.elheraldo.hn/mundo/video-accidente-helicoptero-trasladaba-mauricio-arriaza-tripulantes-la-union-el-salvador-OB21319117 |access-date=10 September 2024 |website=www.elheraldo.hn |language=es-HN}} Hours later the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, declared three days of mourning.{{Cite news |date=9 September 2024 |title=Bukele declara tres días de duelo por las víctimas del accidente aéreo en El Salvador |url=https://www.latribuna.hn/2024/09/09/bukele-declara-tres-dias-de-duelo-por-las-victimas-del-accidente-aereo-en-el-salvador/ |access-date=11 September 2024 |work=La Tribuna |language=es}} He also expressed doubts about the incident being accidental and called for international assistance in investigating the disaster.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/world/americas/el-salvador-helicopter-crash-police.html|title=El Salvador's Police Chief Dies in Helicopter Crash|language=en|date=9 September 2024|access-date=9 September 2024|work=The New York Times|first1=Mike|last1=Ives}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9w81plz3lo|title=El Salvador Police Chief Dies in 'Suspicious' Copter Crash|language=en|date=9 September 2024|access-date=8 September 2024|work=BBC News|first1=Vanessa|last1=Buschschlüter}} An official funeral for the victims was held at the former presidential residence in San Salvador on 11 September.{{Cite news |date=12 September 2024 |title=Emotivo sepelio del director general de la policía salvadoreña que falleció en accidente aéreo |url=https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-737eec4ebea8644dab8b8d21d84cacbe |access-date=17 September 2024 |work=Associated Press |language=es}}

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