Date:	Wednesday 31 October 1979
Time:	05:42
Type:	McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
Owner/operator:	Western Air Lines
Registration:	N903WA
MSN:	46929/107
Year of manufacture:	1973
Total airframe hrs:	24614 hours
Cycles:	7345 flights
Engine model:	General Electric CF6-6K
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 72 / Occupants: 88
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Mexico City-Juarez International Airport (MEX) -   Mexico
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX)
Destination airport:	Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX/MMMX)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Flight 2605 departed Los Angeles at 01:40 for a flight to Mexico City. Because of refurbishing work on runway 23L, the flight was cleared for a runway 23R approach. Descend through a fog bank was continued below the 600 feet minimum for instrument approaches. The aircraft touched down with the left main gear in the grass left of 23L and with the right main gear on the runway shoulder. Go-around power was added and the nose lifted 10-11deg. The right main gear then collided with a truck located on the runway. The gear leg separated and struck the right tailplane and elevator, causing substantial damage. The aircraft banked to the right until it struck the left wing struck the cab of an excavator, 1500 m from the runway threshold, continued and crashed into a building and caught fire.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "Non-compliance with the meteorological minima for the approach procedure, as cleared; failure to comply with the aircraft's operating procedures during the approach phase, and landing on a runway closed to traffic."

ICAO Circular 173-AN/109
NTSB Safety Recommendations A-80-59/60

photo (c) C. Waldenmaier, via Werner Fischdick; San Francisco-International Airport, CA (SFO); October 1978

Date/time	Contributor	Updates