Tourist plane crashes in Peru viewing Nazca Lines, killing 13

A tourist plane crashed near Peru's Nazca Lines on August 1, 2026, killing all 13 people aboard, including 11 European tourists and two Peruvian pilots. The Aerodiana-operated aircraft went down shortly after takeoff. The cause is under investigation, but the incident highlights a history of fatal crashes at the popular UNESCO World Heritage site, raising serious concerns over the safety of sightseeing flights.

Nazca Lines plane crash

• ▪The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan operated by the company Aerodiana, crashed around 1:20 p.m. local time after departing from Pisco
• ▪The crash killed all 13 people on board, consisting of 11 passengers and two crew members
• ▪A small tourist plane crashed near the Nazca Lines in Peru on August 1, 2026

Victim identification

• ▪The pilot was named Americo Salazar Cuellar and the copilot was Irenka Del Carpio
• ▪Police Major Jorge Andrade confirmed there were no survivors and that the crash site was engulfed in flames
• ▪The 11 passengers killed were identified as seven Italians, two Germans, and two Spanish citizens

Previous crash history

• ▪Another crash in April 2008 killed five French tourists near the Nazca Lines
• ▪In 2022, a small plane crash at the Nazca Lines site killed seven people
• ▪In 2010, two separate crashes at the site killed a total of 13 people, including four British tourists, three Chileans, and four Peruvians

Safety concerns

• ▪The Nazca Lines are a UNESCO World Heritage site with enormous ancient geoglyphs that are best viewed from the air
• ▪The history of deadly accidents has raised serious concerns about the safety and maintenance of aircraft used for Nazca Lines tours

Official investigation

• ▪The municipality of Nazca and Peru's tourism ministry both issued statements expressing sorrow for the accident
• ▪The cause of the crash is unknown and is being investigated by Peru's civil aviation authority