Tourist plane crashes in Peru viewing Nazca Lines, killing 13

Aug 1, 2026

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.