Not to freak anyone out..

[CAflyer]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080530/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/honduras_plane_crash;_ylt=AuJTZCk0TfCYgN8D4XMc6o4D W7oF

The good news... it is a crash with only two people dead. It proves it is rare that even in a take off crash we are all doomed. I know this site has helped me because reading this has not made me feel like throwing up like it would have a few month ago.

[Barb-SAN]

Not too surprisingly, people are searching the YouTube video archives for Tegucigalpa (Toncontin) Airport landings ;), and posting comments.

I flew into this airport once in the mid-70's (as a passenger)...and do remember mountains and sharp bankings and maneuverings.

From the article linked by CAFlyer: "Officials have been struggling for years to replace aging Toncontin International Airport, whose short runway, primitive navigation equipment and neighboring hills make it one of the world's more dangerous international airports"

Here are some YouTube video links...love the one from the cockpit! (Pilot's comment on landing "That's not fun. I don't like this one!") (Watch it in full-screen mode for the best effect).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAxAso8xSo0

"Don't be afraid!"...:rolleyes: (Directed to people filming from the ground, right under the approaching plane). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loyKfeV7NFg&feature=related

This is a landing from a passenger's perspective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ5RnglguG0
There's a lot of detailed information about the airport written by mscboi who posted the video (click on "more info." next to date added).

Well, it's certainly a consideration for anyone planning a trip to Honduras, though accidents are still rare when considering how many planes land there successfully. I read in one of the YouTube video comments that the airport at San Pedro Sula is longer and less dangerous, in case that's a viable option for anyone traveling to Honduras.

[CAflyer]

Yeah if it is soooo dangerous and still only a few planes have crashed out of so many a year then think of how rare it is to crash in normal airports. I have seen that one before of the plane from the people on the ground.

[Barb-SAN]

Warning...*trigger* plane crash photo:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24906418/

....."President Manuel Zelaya issued a statement saying he lamented the accident. The president closed the Toncontin international airport for 48 hours to all traffic except helicopters and small airplanes with a maximum capacity of 42 passengers.

Honduran air officials said large jets would be transferred permanently to a former U.S. military airfield at Palmerola."......
"Larger jets will now operate out of the Palmerola airport, also known as the Soto Cano base, about 30 miles north of the capital.
Used by the United States during the Central American civil wars of the 1980s, Palmerola has the best runway in the country at 8,850 feet long and 165 feet wide and now is used mostly for drug surveillance planes."

"Pilot's attempts to land
TACA's president in El Salvador, Alfredo Schildknecht, acknowledged that the pilot made two attempts to land at Toncontin.
"The first time he aborted due to poor visibility, and the second time the braking was not optimal," he said. "The landing strip was wet and the plane overshot it....

Airport safety
There have been calls for years to replace the aging Toncontin airport, whose short runway, primitive navigation equipment and neighboring hills make it one of the world's more dangerous international airports.
The airport was built in 1948 with a runway less than 5,300 feet long — shorter than that of a small field such as Municipal Airport in Goldsboro, North Carolina
The altitude of some 3,300 feet forces pilots to use more runway on landings and takeoffs than they would at sea level. And because of the hills, pilots have to make an unusually steep approach."

It's unfortunate that sometimes it takes a tragedy to bring about a change. But at least now flying to Honduras on commercial airlines should be much safer. YouTube videos will remain as a testimony to the skill of the jet pilots making the landing at Toncontin.