[kellyhound]

In a tragic incident in eastern Mexico, a plane belonging to the Mexican Air Force caught fire and crashed near El Lencero Airport, resulting in the death of all six individuals on board. The exact cause of this fatal crash is currently under investigation.

The crash occurred on Sunday morning, around 9:45 a.m. local time, as the mid-sized business jet, identified as a Learjet 45XR, was departing from the airport located near Xalapa in the state of Veracruz.

Eyewitness reports and video footage revealed that most of the aircraft, with the exception of its cockpit and tail, was completely destroyed after it went down in a field close to the airport. Rescue teams were seen attempting to gain access to the cockpit in a desperate effort to find survivors.

The Mexican Defense Ministry confirmed the deaths of six service members in the accident. The identities of the deceased were not immediately made public, and it was reported that there were no survivors from the crash.

[durt]

Trying to gain access via the windshield is a waste of time. It's probably 1"-2" thick depending on the aircraft, and could probably withstand a shotgun blast! Rescuers always try to smash the windows, but it's made not to break!

[kellyhound]

take off and aftermath

[William May]

Originally Posted by durt ↗

Trying to gain access via the windshield is a waste of time. It's probably 1"-2" thick depending on the aircraft, and could probably withstand a shotgun blast! Rescuers always try to smash the windows, but it's made not to break!

Attachment 963218

Yeah, Learjet windshields are 1.25" to 2" thick, depending on the model. I have seen Magnum .44 rounds fired into them that did not penetrate. I have seen all kinds of bullets fired into them with no effect. Every time we used to do a windshield change, the pilots always wanted the old windshields so they could shoot at them, and hang them in their garages. I saw one where the guy had fired all kinds of different rounds into a windshield, and labeled each one.
Learjet puts out an accident guide for airport fire departments, and they point out that it is impossible to chop through a windshield or cabin window. They recommend chopping through the structure AROUND the doors or the windows to remove a large enough area of structure to gain access.
We did most of the maintenance on Mexican Military Lears at our facility in Tucson. I wonder if I know these guys?.
All the Mexican Navy Lears came to Tucson, as the Mexican Navy is the only military force in Mexico that is not corrupted by the drug lords. If you see a take-down of a cartel figure, it is normally done by the Mexican Navy Marines, as they are pretty much incorruptible. They did their own maintenance on Navy bases, but if they had something major to be done, they brought the aircraft up to us, so there was no possibility of sabotage. Who would have thought that the Mexican Navy is the only dependable government group in Mexico? I never even HEARD of the Mexican Navy before I worked on Learjets. They are the best guys in Mexico right now.
Looks like they aborted the takeoff, and over-ran the end of the runway. Too bad.

[albie54]

Originally Posted by William May ↗

Yeah, Learjet windshields are 1.25" to 2" thick, depending on the model. I have seen Magnum .44 rounds fired into them that did not penetrate. I have seen all kinds of bullets fired into them with no effect. Every time we used to do a windshield change, the pilots always wanted the old windshields so they could shoot at them, and hang them in their garages. I saw one where the guy had fired all kinds of different rounds into a windshield, and labeled each one.
Learjet puts out an accident guide for airport fire departments, and they point out that it is impossible to chop through a windshield or cabin window. They recommend chopping through the structure AROUND the doors or the windows to remove a large enough area of structure to gain access.
We did most of the maintenance on Mexican Military Lears at our facility in Tucson. I wonder if I know these guys?.
All the Mexican Navy Lears came to Tucson, as the Mexican Navy is the only military force in Mexico that is not corrupted by the drug lords. If you see a take-down of a cartel figure, it is normally done by the Mexican Navy Marines, as they are pretty much incorruptible. They did their own maintenance on Navy bases, but if they had something major to be done, they brought the aircraft up to us, so there was no possibility of sabotage. Who would have thought that the Mexican Navy is the only dependable government group in Mexico? I never even HEARD of the Mexican Navy before I worked on Learjets. They are the best guys in Mexico right now.
Looks like they aborted the takeoff, and over-ran the end of the runway. Too bad.

[albie54]

Very interesting comments. Thank you.

[Desert Rat]

Originally Posted by William May ↗

Yeah, Learjet windshields are 1.25" to 2" thick, depending on the model. I have seen Magnum .44 rounds fired into them that did not penetrate. I have seen all kinds of bullets fired into them with no effect. Every time we used to do a windshield change, the pilots always wanted the old windshields so they could shoot at them, and hang them in their garages. I saw one where the guy had fired all kinds of different rounds into a windshield, and labeled each one.
Learjet puts out an accident guide for airport fire departments, and they point out that it is impossible to chop through a windshield or cabin window. They recommend chopping through the structure AROUND the doors or the windows to remove a large enough area of structure to gain access.
We did most of the maintenance on Mexican Military Lears at our facility in Tucson. I wonder if I know these guys?.
All the Mexican Navy Lears came to Tucson, as the Mexican Navy is the only military force in Mexico that is not corrupted by the drug lords. If you see a take-down of a cartel figure, it is normally done by the Mexican Navy Marines, as they are pretty much incorruptible. They did their own maintenance on Navy bases, but if they had something major to be done, they brought the aircraft up to us, so there was no possibility of sabotage. Who would have thought that the Mexican Navy is the only dependable government group in Mexico? I never even HEARD of the Mexican Navy before I worked on Learjets. They are the best guys in Mexico right now.
Looks like they aborted the takeoff, and over-ran the end of the runway. Too bad.

Well, this comment makes sense out of a lot of things! Thanks for sharing WM!